


Return Engagement

by Braincoins



Series: Explorers [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), AU, F/M, Firearm safety, Fluff, Flut, Masturbation, Pining, Riding, Smut, overhearing masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-02 00:29:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14532735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Braincoins/pseuds/Braincoins
Summary: Princess Allura comes to Earth to repay the Garrison's visit to Altea, as well as to be with the man she could only have for one night back on her homeworld. But this isn't necessarily a happy visit for everyone; the pressures have gone up, and there are forces aligning against them.Time is never on our side.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to "One Night Only." Yes, there will be smut eventually. Be patient.
> 
> Bless the heavens for [pixie_rings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) and her beta skills.  
> ===================

            It had been ages. Allura had been doing everything properly, the way it should have been done, instead of just throwing a skeleton crew into the nearest teludav-capable ship and taking off. She had spent her nights reliving every moment she and Takashi had spent together – _especially_ that last night – and wistfully dreaming of what it would be like to be reunited with him.

            On a practical level, she knew neither of them could do what they wanted. She couldn’t run up and hug him. He couldn’t hold her and kiss her and welcome her to his homeworld. She fully expected they would play things civil, as they had when he’d left Altea all those months ago. But then, some moment would come when they could find an excuse to be alone together, and then…

            “Approaching Earth,” the helmsman declared, snapping Allura out of her fantasy.

            She did her best to smother her grin. “Well, time to make myself presentable then. Coran, the bridge is yours.”

            “Aye, Princess.”

            Because of _course_ she couldn’t go on this mission without her nanny. Technically he was one of her father’s closest advisors, the king’s right-hand man, and it wasn’t that she distrusted or disliked him. But Coran could be rather “fatherly” to her sometimes, and she worried about being stuck with him chaperoning when she’d rather be holding Takashi as tightly as she dared and basking in the happiness of being able to see her dashing, belo-… captain again.

            She went to freshen up and make sure she was attired properly. She had to look regal but not dazzling. Not too formal, but still something that would leave no doubt as to her rank (as if the tiara wasn’t indication enough). She double-tapped the smooth aetherite cube on her vanity. It was just a little larger than her palm, with rounded corners, but, most importantly, it held a copy of her mother’s memories & personality. Portable Mother.

            “Yes, dear?” The small cube couldn’t project an AI either, but it could at least project a voice, unlike the memorial stone in the Chapel of Memories.

            “Help me decide what to wear, Mother. We’re almost there.”

            “You want to look your best for your intended, do you?” she teased.

            Allura rolled her eyes. “I need to look royal but not like I’m trying too hard.” Then her mind went back over what her mother had said and she tacked on, “And Captain Shirogane is _not_ my intended.”

            “Just so long as you have your hair down, my flower. You always look lovely like that.”

            She huffed. “Mother, he probably won’t even be there.”

            “You want him to be. You want him to be there and you want him to be your _karavash_. Just admit it to yourself.”

            “ _YOU_ want him to be my _karavash_. Scheming meddler. Even from the beyond.” She pulled out a dress. “This one?”

            “Hm, no. Wear the blue one.”

            Allura put it away. “I suppose that one would suit, but why not the pink?”

            “Because that shade of pink means ‘forever.’ Save it for the night you propose to him.”

            “By the Ancients, Mother…” But she pulled out the blue dress and began changing.

            “In all seriousness, I do want you to be careful on this trip, Allura. Just because you met some nice Earthlings – and one very, _very_ nice one – doesn’t mean they’re all like that.”

            “Father reminded me. Repeatedly.”

            “I’m not surprised. He’s more protective of you than even I was.” She sighed. “At the same time, I want you to keep an open mind. Not just on diplomatic and trade issues – I know you’ll do wonderfully – but in matters of romance.”

            Allura stopped partway through changing to stare at the cube. “Wait, what happened to ‘marry him’ and all of that?”

            “Oh, it’s fun to tease you, and I meant it when I said that’s how your father used to look at me. You care very deeply for this captain, and I want you to be happy. But, honestly, how many of them have you met? Just because one of them was handsome and accommodating doesn’t mean there isn’t another Earthling, or Altean, or Galran, or… or someone else out there for you. I just don’t want you to rush into things.”

            “You told me to marry him the first time you met him!” Allura exclaimed in exasperation, resuming getting dressed.

            “I knew you wouldn’t. I just did it to annoy you.” She sounded very pleased with herself there, but then her voice went back to cautious warning. “I only want you to be happy. Your father wasn’t my first love; when I first met each of the others, I thought I would be with them forever. But it wasn’t to be.”

            “Honestly, it’s not like I haven’t had lovers before!” She sat down at the vanity to see to her jewelry and hair. “Something’s different with him, Mother. There’s… a pull. As if I am a moon in his orbit. It scares me a little but also thrills me. It makes me wary while I also want to throw caution to the wind.”

            The cube was quiet for a moment. “I just want you to be happy,” her mother’s voice reiterated. “And it sounds like he made you very happy.”

            “You have no idea.”

            “Only because you won’t give me the juicy details.” Ah, the teasing was back.

            “I’m not telling you what it was like to bed him, Mother.”

            “I was only ever with Alteans! Can you blame me for being curious?”

            “I have no way of knowing if he’s a reasonable representation of Earthlings in that respect.”

            “He doesn’t have to be a representative of anything. How many times did you…?”

            “MOTHER! I’m not answering that.”

            There was silence from the cube as Allura brushed her hair out now that it was down. Even though the cube had no eyes, she could practically _feel_ her mother’s gaze on her. She was doing her best to ignore it. _I will not give into her desire to gossip. I will **not**._

            “Well?” the cube prompted.

            “I lost count,” she replied before she could stop herself. Her mother laughed, and Allura couldn’t help smiling at the sound. “I’m so glad I have you with me for this, Mother.”

            “You’d do fine on your own. You are my daughter, and your father’s. So very much your father’s, honestly. Too much sometimes.”

            “Yes, thank you, Mother. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

            “Good luck, my flower. Not that you’ll need it.”

            Allura double-tapped the cube into silence just as Coran’s voice came over the comms. “We’re landing at the designated coordinates, Princess.”

            “I’m on my way,” she acknowledged, rising from her seat.

            Time to show all of Earth what Altean royalty was like. She wasn’t nervous at all.

 

 

            Shiro was very nervous, but he thought he was hiding it very well (the sunglasses helped). Keith was eyeing him, so that was probably a fail there, but he was practically a little brother to Shiro by now, and that meant it was hard to hide things from him. He’d seen Iverson give him a look or two, and that was worrisome. But everyone else was in the dark. He was mostly sure, anyway.

            And, really, what did he have to be nervous about? Just because the alien princess he’d spent an illicit night with was coming to Earth? Just because he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he first saw her? He was standing with the mission group, waiting to welcome her after Ambassador Roberts introduced her to the Secretary-General of the EGC. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to take special notice of him or not.

            _I shouldn’t have…_ But every time he thought that, he knew he couldn’t have done anything differently. She was as inescapable as terminal velocity. And he didn’t want to escape anyway. That night had felt perfect, it’d felt _right_ , and leaving her to return to Earth the next day felt like he’d left half his heart behind. It wasn’t that he shouldn’t have stayed with her that night; it was that he should never have left.

            He focused on her ship landing. Sleek, gleaming white, running nearly silent. It wasn’t the first time he’d regarded Altean technology with envy and awe. He’d been hoping to get to fly something of theirs on their visit – just a light craft of some sort, something small – but that hadn’t happened. He wondered what it was like to pilot something like _this_. Not that he’d ever find out. But maybe they’d let him take a joyride in a shuttle or something? This was to be a reciprocal visit – you visited us, so we will visit you – but also was meant to discuss the possibility of trade. He’d be surprised if they’d give up weaponry, but even just transport vessels would be literal light-years better than anything they had. He’d be a glorified tour guide if it meant he could fly something like that.

            The engines died; the only way you could tell was that the dust was settling. So quiet, so powerful. _Please help us with our spaceflight capabilities_ , he prayed. A part of the ship, underneath, in the center, began to descend. Iverson called for Attention, and Shiro dutifully snapped to it, as did all Garrison attendants, in one smooth sound and motion. The ambassador straightened his tie and smoothed out his jacket. They’d paved a walkway from the designated landing grounds, rather than risk offending her. Alteans had different meanings for colors, and they seemed very sensitive to them sometimes. Who knew what rolling out a red carpet might mean to them?

            Shiro thought back to the Chapel of Memories, such bright and lovely colors, and the queen’s stone with its ever-shifting hues. He wished he could think of somewhere so bright and colorful to take Allu- …The Princess, but it was highly unlikely he’d ever have a moment alone with her, let alone leave or time to while away the hours on a sightseeing trip.

            The part of the ship that was descending hit the ground with a quiet thump, and a door slid open with barely a whisper. Soldiers came out first. Of course. The Garrison had stationed soldiers every so often along the path, but there was room enough for the Altean guard to file in next to them, and they did so. Earth and Altea guarding the path together. Symbolic and strategic (if anyone meant any harm, the other side was right there to immediately step in).

            And then there she was, striding out, head held high, a faint smile on her face. There was an entire entourage following her, of course, but Shiro couldn’t look anywhere but at her, especially as she walked out into the sunshine.

            She was still the most breathtaking sight he’d ever seen, shining brighter than every star in the sky, more awesome than any vista he could imagine or remember. He’d thought he’d never care for anything or anyone as much as he longed to be exploring outer space. That had been true right up until he’d met her.

            She was so regal, dressed in blues and golds, whites and pinks. Her hair shimmered in the light, and Shiro remembered the twin moonrise from her balcony. Seeing her here, on Earth, and remembering being with her there, on Altea… His breath caught in his throat. He wished they were two different people. But then, if they had been, they’d never have met.

            Ambassador Roberts stepped forward as Allura neared the end of the walkway, and she smiled as she greeted him. Shiro wasn’t close enough to hear what they said, but Allura’s eyes crinkled warmly. The ambassador stepped aside and raised his voice. “Her Royal Highness, Princess Allura of Altea, may I present the Secretary-General of the Earth Governing Council, Jiang Maylin.”

            Secretary-General Jiang stepped forward and bowed. Allura bowed in return, and the leader of the EGC announced, in barely-accented English, “Welcome to Earth, Your Highness.”

            That was the cue for members of the military to salute. Again, the action was executed smoothly.

            “Thank you, Secretary-General. It is my pleasure to visit your lovely home.”

            The civilian audience – such as they were – cheered at that. They were mostly politicians and their families, a few NASA scientists and _their_ families, military families, that sort of thing. Just in case, you know. The Garrison dropped their salute but remained at attention.

            Jiang stood and posed with Allura and the ambassador for a few photos, and then began walking with her, talking quietly. Shiro had to just face forward silently and pretend it wasn’t killing him. _She’s here. She’s really **here**. _ It just seemed so strange to imagine her on Earth. She belonged to the stars. As soon have some sort of immortal goddess striding the land as this princess of a distant planet.

            “And you remember the members of the Altea mission?” Jiang said smoothly as they came up.

            “Of course!” She was all polite smiles. “It’s so very good to see you all again.” She greeted each by name, shaking the hands of the diplomatic members and nodding in acknowledgement of each salute. And then she came to him. He was the last, of course, the junior member of the military detachment that had gone, the lowest on the totem pole. He should have been far, far beneath her notice, even back on Altea.

            “Captain Shirogane,” she said, and he saluted as required.

            “Your Highness.” He had to clear his throat after he said it. He was gladder than ever for his sunglasses. “Welcome.”

            Her smile picked up, just a little. Or maybe he imagined it. “I’m very glad to be here, Captain. Thank you.” And then she turned back to Jiang.

            He dropped his salute as smartly as he’d raised it and tried not to be disappointed. _What did I expect? She can’t just throw herself into my arms and kiss me in front of everyone! I would be in so much trouble, and that’s not proper, and…_ and none of that changed the fact that he’d wanted her to. Or to be able to hug her and kiss her himself. Or… or **_something_**. Some way to acknowledge what they meant to each other. _I wish…_

            “ _No. Don’t say it,”_ her voice came to him in memory. _“Don’t even think of it right now.”_

_“How do you know what I was going to say?”_

_“Because there’s only one wish I can think of right now, and it can’t come true for either of us.”_

He had to remember that. It can’t happen. It couldn’t happen, it wouldn’t happen, even if they both wanted it that way. He’d never been good with “can’t.” It was what drove him, what had kept him going until he got all the way to the stars, to distant planets, to… her. He’d been going so fast, and it felt like he’d hit a brick wall of “can’t.” It shattered him.

            But he’d been dealing with that for a long time now. It’d been almost a year since they’d left Altea. He knew it had been a one-night-only sort of deal. He’d known it then. It could never have been and never would be anything else.

            But he’d loved her with every part of his being that one night. And nothing could change that either.

            Jiang was still talking. “…and I believe Commander Dos Santos and Major Iverson have arranged an escort for you and your entourage to your accommodations.”

            The commander stepped forward and nodded. “We’ve secured the top three floors of the very best hotel for you, Your Highness. Your guard will be on the lowest of those floors, your entourage on the second floor, and you’ll have the penthouse suite at the top all to yourself.”

            “It sounds lovely. Thank you for the trouble you’ve gone to on my behalf, Commander.”

            “We’re sending some of our soldiers along to guard the motorcade on your way there, but we’ve entrusted Captain Shirogane with leading the detail.”

            Shiro blinked. He’d known he’d been a candidate for it, but Iverson hadn’t ever confirmed someone. He shot the major a look and wasn’t surprised to see him looking right back at him. _You could have at least warned me._

            But he stepped forward quickly and saluted again. “We’ll get you there safe and sound, Your Highness.”

            “I’ve no doubt, Captain.”

            The secretary-general inserted herself back into the conversation. “We’ve got the motorcade waiting for you this way, Your Highness. My aide will accompany you to the hotel to go over the schedule we have planned, but you’ll have the rest of this day to yourself. Please feel free to ask him or the captain if you have any questions about anything at all.”

            “Thank you, Ms. Jiang. I appreciate all of your hard work and I look forward to talking with you more soon.” They were walking towards the limos.

            Shiro took the opportunity to step up to Iverson and whisper quietly, “With all due respect, sir, what the HELL?”

            “I convinced the commander to change his plans at the last second,” Iverson replied just as quietly. “I mean, Mulcahy wanted Cianciulli. She’s good, but one thing she ain’t is personable or diplomatic. We’ve got the honor guard for the motorcade covered; hope you can pick a trustworthy team in the next minute or so.”

            “I can, but…”

            “You’re welcome.” Iverson patted him on the back nearly hard enough to knock the sunglasses off. Shiro sighed and took them off anyway so he could catch Keith’s eye. He pointed at Keith, showed four fingers, and then jerked his thumb. Keith nodded and stood to get to it. Shiro tugged his uniform jacket straight and shot Iverson another glare before he slid his sunglasses back on. The major just looked smug. That was worrisome, but he didn’t have time to think about it.

            He, quite unexpectedly, had a princess to protect.

 

 

            Allura focused her attention on Ms. Jiang’s aide, who did, indeed, have quite a lot to discuss with her. She tried not to let her resentment show. She wouldn’t have been _quite_ alone with Takashi in the vehicle together – there was a driver, after all, on the other side of very thick and dark glass – but it would have been enough to talk at least. To tell him how happy she was to see him again, how handsome he always looked in his uniform, how glad she was that he was going to be showing her where she’d be staying. She could have held his hand and just been ecstatic.

            But no, instead she tried to ignore his presence and listen to the aide. “And, of course, if you have any need to reschedule any of this, please let us know as soon as possible, and we’ll find a way to work it out. The EGC is looking forward to working with you, Your Highness.”

            “Thank you, Mr. Govender. So, what can you tell me about this hotel?”

            He smoothly pulled out a brightly-colored brochure to hand to her. She asked questions as he described the various features. He assured her that the kitchen had one of the very best chefs at her disposal, day or night, and would work with her to try to make sure the food was up to her standards.

            “I’m a simple woman,” she reassured him. “ _Nutrien_ will suit me.”

            “I’m sorry, I don’t know…”

            “It’s a very basic foodstuff.” It was so good to hear Takashi’s voice again. He had his sunglasses off in the car, and he was still looking out the window – for possible threats, she assumed – even as he explained things to their companion. “Sort of like gooey porridge. Only green. But it provides all the necessary nutrition.”

            “He’s leaving out that it’s really quite tasty,” Allura told Mr. Govender.

            “If you say so, Your Highness,” Takashi replied.

            She _badly_ wanted to stick her tongue out at him, and that feeling only increased when she noticed he was doing a poor job of hiding his grin.

            “The captain is a good man,” she said, “but it’s a shame he has such poor taste.”

            The aide coughed. “I don’t think they have _nutrien_ , but I’ll let you discuss your dietary needs and desires with the chef.”

            “I’m sure we’ll sort it all out, thank you.” She continued letting him explain things to her. It sounded lovely, but she couldn’t wait to see it in person. With her captain beside her.

The vehicles floated to a stop outside a tall building. “Here we are,” Mr. Govender declared.

            Takashi was out of the car almost immediately, and the door slammed behind him. She frowned until Ms. Jiang’s aide explained, “He’s doing a security sweep and getting the Garrison men in place.”

            “The hotel is secure, is it not?”

            “Yes, but we can’t afford to take chances with your safety. He’ll open the door for us when they’re ready.”

            “Oh, now, really.” She practically shoved him aside, opened the door on the other side, and stepped out.

            “Your Highness.” Takashi sounded exasperated with her, which she rather liked. It wasn’t a cold, military response, despite the formality of her title. “Stay in the car for now.”

            “I’m already out.” She headed for the door, and the other Alteans began doing the same.

            He caught up with her. “You’re still stubborn, I see,” he said under his breath.

            “Did you miss me?” she replied teasingly.

            “Every single day,” he said immediately, and the genuine response threw her for a second, long enough for him to get in front of her and hold the door. She shook her head a little in amusement and walked through, feeling warm from just those three little words. _He missed me!_ She hoped she didn’t look like the blushing little girl she felt like.

            Mr. Govender caught up with them. “I have your key cards here, Your Highness. I was going to give them to you, but…”

            “Thank you, Mr. Govender,” she said as she took them from him. “I will have nothing but praise to give Ms. Jiang.”

            “Thank you, Your Highness.” He bowed and left, looking (and likely feeling) somewhat awkward. But then she liked throwing off expectations.

            And then the slim envelope was snatched from her hands. She looked over to Takashi in annoyance, but he was already fishing small, flat cards out and distributing them to Garrison soldiers.

            “These are for Her Highness’s guards. You guys go up with them, let them choose their own rooms, help them get settled. Keith!” He waved over another, smaller pack of Garrison-uniformed individuals. In fact, there were only four of them. “You help the diplomatic entourage to their floor; they’re on 19. Let them pick their rooms, answer their questions and such.”

            “Aye, sir.” This ‘Keith’ person seemed a good, stoic little soldier, but Allura caught one of the others with him grinning at her. She arched an eyebrow in challenge, but a third member of their group – the largest of them – pulled him away. The smallest gave an apologetic smile and hurried after them. “Diplomatic group! With me!” Keith was yelling.

            Takashi winced. “Sorry about that. He’s good, don’t worry. Just not very… personable, I guess.”

            She smiled. “Does this mean you are the one taking me to my suite?”

            He nodded. “Of course. We have to go up to 18 – the floor where your guards are – and then take a special elevator up to 20. The entire floor is yours, as Mr. Govender explained.” He gestured to a wall of golden double doors. Her guards and entourage were already walking through some of them, so she headed for one that wasn’t open yet.

            He jogged ahead of her and pushed a button. “You have to do this so it knows to come to this floor for you,” he explained when she walked up.

            “Oh, I see.” Everything was charmingly antiquated, but easy enough to understand. Takashi didn’t ease down out of his “Captain” pose even after they stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind them. He pushed the button labeled 18 – the highest value on the panel – and it began to move.

            “It’s so good to see you again,” she said. “Truly.”

            He cleared his throat. “I’m glad to see you looking well, Your Highness. I hope the trip here went smoothly?” He was looking straight ahead.

            She frowned a little at his excessive formality. “Very.” When he wouldn’t stop Not Looking at her, she sighed and gave up for the time being. But as she looked around the elevator, she spotted a camera. _Ah. I understand._ That soothed her a bit. He was only being stand-offish because of the audience.

            She consoled herself with that little whisper of his as they’d entered the building. _Once we’re alone…_ she thought. It was hard to contain herself. But if the cameras weren’t reminder enough, she could overhear occasional comments made to him through the earpiece he was wearing. _I suppose they didn’t count on Altean hearing._ It was boring – status updates and whatever ‘sitreps’ were – and she just chose to pretend all those people were there with her in the elevator.

            He led her through the 18th floor, where members of her guard were choosing rooms. They all stopped to salute, of course, as did the Garrison soldiers. She nodded at them all as Takashi led her to the elevator at the end of the floor. This one had up and down buttons on the wall outside the doors; he pushed up. When it arrived, it had only three buttons: 18, 19, and 20. Next to each one was a small black rectangle.

            He showed her how to wave her key card in front of the rectangle after he pushed the 20, to prove that she was allowed to go to that floor. “Your key cards are the only ones that can go up to 20, aside from the hotel’s master key. If you want to confer with your entourage, you’ll have to go down to 19 and either bring them up or just talk down there.”

            She nodded. The elevator slid to a stop and dinged softly as it opened onto her suite. It was large, spacious, with multiple rooms, but what drew her attention immediately was the huge windows looking out over the ocean and the clear blue sky. She ran to them and found that some of them were doors leading out onto the balcony. She started to pull one open, but then Takashi’s hand appeared over hers on the handle. He pushed the door shut again.

            “Please limit your time outdoors. You’re too easy a target out there.”

            She turned to face him. He was still so close to her. “Takashi, we’re alone now, aren’t we?”

            He cleared his throat and dropped his arm. “Yes, we are,” he agreed.

            “Can the others overhear you?” She pointed to his earpiece.

            “Only when I choose to transmit.”

            “Good.” She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him, hard. She felt his arms wrap around her in response and she wanted to melt. It felt so good to be back in his embrace, to have him here where she could hold him and kiss him and know he was real.

            But as soon as they broke for air, he protested, “Allura, we can’t.”

            “You said that before,” she reminded him. “Back in my bedroom.”

            He sighed. “We shouldn’t have then, and we _can’t_ now.”

            “Takashi, I’ve missed you so much.”

            “And I’ve missed you. But this isn’t… I can’t…”

            “You’re still holding me,” she pointed out. “You kissed me back. Very well, I might add.”

            Blush bloomed on his cheeks, but he didn’t move away. “I want to stay here with you. I want to _so badly_ , Allura. But I can’t. If my superiors found out…”

            “What if I request you to stay with me?”

            “You know better than that.”

            She huffed. He was right. It would look like favoritism – which it was.

            “Allura, I did want to ask something.”

            “Anything.”

            “This trip is… it’s about diplomacy, right?”

            She smiled. “It is. The ambassador worked it out with my father before you left. But I am very glad my father asked me to come in his stead. I hated watching you leave.”

            “I hated leaving.”

            “I watched your ship until I couldn’t see it anymore.”

            He pulled her back in for another hug. “I really have missed you, Allura. I wish we could spend more time together.”

            “As do I. We didn’t get near enough time to spend together during your visit.”

            “I, uh… didn’t mean…”

            “Lovemaking?” she asked. When he nodded, she giggled. “I didn’t _just_ mean that either.”

            “Oh.”

            She laughed at his embarrassment. “Though I wouldn’t mind spending every night with you.”

            His sigh was tinged with regret. “That would be wonderful. And the days, too. If we could, I’d love to take you down to the beach, to the museums and… just… everywhere.” But, sadly, he pulled away entirely. “For now, I need to show you how to reach hotel staff and how to contact outside parties like Secretary-General Jiang, Ambassador Roberts, or Commander Dos Santos.”

            She folded her arms in annoyance. “Will you show me how to contact you as well?”

            “Not at this time,” he said, reverting to military mode. “Come.” He was heading for a desk.

            “I’d love to, but someone still has his clothes on.”

            And she got the exact reaction she was hoping for: he whipped back to her, face and ears bright red. “Allura!”

            She grinned. “It’s the truth. And it got you to stop acting like ‘Captain Shirogane’ again.”

            “I _am_ Captain Shirogane.”

            “Not to me. Not when we’re alone.”

            “Look, I have to give you this information. If you don’t know how to do this, they’ll think I did a bad job, and I might never get to come near you again.”

            “Alright, alright,” she relented. “I will let you do your little presentation or whatever it is you need to do, but _only_ on the condition that you stop acting all stuffy. I know we can’t be together the way I want…”

            “…the way _we_ want,” he corrected.

            She beamed at that. “…the way WE want, but don’t act distant, at least? We were friends before we were lovers. Can we at least still be that?”

            He exhaled slowly, studying her like she was a trap about to spring on him before nodding. “In private.”

            “In private.”

            “Okay. And my _friends_ ,” he put emphasis on the word, “call me Shiro. Just so you know.” He smoothed out his uniform and went on showing her how everything worked. The old-fashioned communication devices, the various bathroom objects (it took every ounce of self-control she had not to push him into the shower when he demonstrated how to turn it on, just to mess with him), and even entertainment objects like the “television.” Her bed could be adjusted, she could summon beauty assistants, masseuses, or food whenever she wanted, and Takashi assured her it was all the best their planet had to offer. There was fresh fruit in a bowl, and a large kitchen area she could stock as she pleased.

            “I think I’ve got it all. If I have any further questions, hotel staff can answer them.”

            He nodded and handed two of the flat cards to her. “Here are your key cards. You can give the other to someone you trust if you need them to…”

            She held one out to him instantly.

            “Allura.”

            “I trust you,” she said. “If your superiors feel you shouldn’t have it, then return it. But I won’t let anyone else have it.”

            He relented and accepted it. “Thank you. I should get going.” He headed for the elevator, then stopped and turned back. “Oh, and I forgot to mention something.”

            “Hm?”

            “We’ve been learning Altean for your visit.”

            She brightened. “Have you now?”

            “And I remember the first time we were alone together, not long after we’d arrived and been presented to you and your father. You walked up to me and said something. ‘ _Alu tein gaschta menco si.’_ ”

            She smiled at the memory. “Yes, I did. And you say it very well.”

            “Thank you. But you told me it was a greeting.”

            “Yes, I did.”

            He was smirking. “You lied.”

            “I did not,” she replied evenly. “It was how I chose to greet you.” She walked up to him. “And it’s still true.”

            He looked down at her, smirk fading into a smile that warmed her better than any sun. “Thank you. _Thera vian,_ ” he said softly, giving her the traditional departing phrase.

            “ _Thera vian,_ ” she replied.

            He pushed the elevator button and it responded immediately. She watched his smile get swallowed up by the elevator doors. _He remembered what I said. After all this time._

            Her mind drifted back to the first time she’d seen the handsome human captain alone, getting some air at the welcoming party they’d thrown together. She’d walked up to him, knowing he didn’t know a word of Altean, and brazenly told him, “You are the most amazing man I have ever seen.”

            And he had laughed uneasily and apologized for not speaking her language. And she had smiled and told him – in English, which their translator programs had picked up easily – that it was just a greeting, then asked why he wasn’t dancing. He’d said he didn’t know how, she’d told him it was easy, and she’d pulled him out onto the floor. He’d proceeded to trip and stumble his way through the dance, but by the end he was getting the hang of it, and they were both laughing.

            But when she blinked out of the memory, she was alone in this huge and impersonally-decorated space. She sighed and decided to go down a floor, to see what Coran was up to and what he thought of his own accommodations. Anything to get her mind off how cold she was now without Takashi’s – Shiro’s – arms around her.

 

 

            Shiro met up with his team back at the barracks later.

            “Man, this is so much nicer!” Lance was declaring from his top bunk. He was laying back, arms folded behind his head, and his eyes were closed. “I need to transfer out here.”

            “They’re the same bunks,” Pidge declared without looking up from her laptop.

            “But we’re near the beach!”

            “You can’t see it from in here!” she shot back.

            “Officer on deck,” Keith announced, and everyone scrambled to their feet (and the ground, in Lance’s case) and to attention.

            “At ease,” Shiro said. “It’s just me.”

            “The one time I don’t do it, you’ll have Iverson or someone with you,” Keith said. “And then I get chewed out.”

            “Again,” the other three said in unison.

            Shiro snickered. “Good point. How’d it go?”

            “They’re really interesting people,” Hunk replied immediately.

            “They seem okay with their rooms,” Keith said.

            “How’d things go with you and the princess?” Lance asked with a grin.

            “Fine. She gave me her extra key card.”

            He regretted saying it instantly.

            “Way to go, Shiro!”

            “Get some alien lovin’!”

            “Oh man, Matt is going to be _so_ jealous of you.”

            “I knew it.” That was from Keith, and Shiro started the glaring with him before he swept it across the rest of them.

            “Knock it off, all of you. And please, don’t tell Matt. She knows me from the last mission, so she trusts me, that’s all.”

            “Yeah huh.” Lance was teasing, but Keith was still studying him.

            “Times like this I wish I was still your instructor so I could assign demerits,” Shiro groaned, pulling out a desk chair to drop into it.

            “Too late! We graduated!”

            “I mean, you could court-martial us,” Hunk mused, “but I dunno what for.”

            “Bust us down a rank?” Keith suggested.

            “That’d work for you,” Lance retorted sullenly, “since you’re a rank above us. Where are we gonna go? Back down to cadet?”

            “Are you STILL upset about that?!” Hunk wanted to know. “Let it go, Lance. We’ll get promoted, too. Eventually.”

            “I’m not going to punish anyone,” Shiro interjected. “At least, not right now.”

            “Good, ‘cause I might have something you’ll wanna know about,” Pidge said. She’d retreated to her laptop.

            “What’s up, Pidge?”

            “I’ve been… keeping tabs on the alien conspiracy boards for a while now…”

            Lance snorted. “More like you signed up when you were a kid.”

            “Shut up, Lance!” Shiro noticed she didn’t deny it though. “They’ve been pretty, um, excited ever since the word first got out of our going to Altea. And now that there’s an actual alien here on Earth, well…”

            “They’re haywire, aren’t they?” Hunk asked.

            “Pretty much. Most of it isn’t credible, I don’t think, but there’s some chatter that’s kind of unsettling. Talk about ‘getting them before they can get us.’”

            Shiro frowned. “You think that’s worth looking into?”

            She looked at him over the lid of her laptop. “Yeah, I do.”

            “Then do it. Send a heads-up to Iverson and Dos Santos, on my say-so. I’d rather we spent a little time on wild goose chases than wind up with interplanetary war.”

            “Aye.” He had a feeling she’d’ve done it anyway; there was no stopping a Holt, he’d learned.

            Hunk cleared his throat. “Uh, Shiro, did you forget about the time Pidge hacked Iverson’s email?”

            “And the time she set off the sprinkler systems in all the commanders’ offices?” Keith added.

            “I was only trying to get Dad’s,” she muttered as she continued typing.

            “Oh!” Lance piped up as he remembered. “And the time she photoshopped that picture of Iverson into a bikini and made it look like he was twerking?”

            Pidge snorted. “You helped with that,” she reminded him.

            Lance stood proudly. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

            “To be fair,” Hunk said, “the bikini Lance picked out was _much_ sexier.”

            “Okay, okay, point made!” Shiro said, trying not to laugh. “Pidge, send _me_ the data, and I’ll send it on to Iverson and the commander. And maybe stop harassing them so much?”

            “Iverson gave me more shit than any of the other instructors,” she groused.

            “That was Matt’s fault,” Shiro told her. “Take it up with your brother for starting the ‘Let’s Prank Iverson’ train rolling.”

            “Are you kidding me?! He helps me come up with some of the best stuff!”

            “Wait, why are you using present tense?” Hunk asked suspiciously.

            “I’m in!” Lance said immediately.

            “I figured you would be. Keith, we need you for this one, too. That higher rank can help me bypass some obstacles.”

            “Depends what it is,” he replied warily.

            “You ever hear of a cockroach bomb?” Pidge asked brightly.

            “Whoa, okay.” Shiro stood up again. “I’m leaving before I hear any more of this.”

            “Don’t want to be an accomplice?” Hunk asked.

            “Plausible deniability,” he told them. “Keep those two words in mind.”

            “Aye,” they responded in chorus.

            “And try to stay out of trouble during the princess’s visit, at least? I need a team I trust helping out with this.”

            “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Pidge said. “It takes a while for this prank to… incubate, as it were.”

            “Don’t. Want. To Know.”

            As he turned to leave, Keith was saying, “I don’t think I want the entire Garrison crawling with cockroaches.”

            The last thing Shiro heard before the door shut was, “That’s why I need Iverson’s home address.”

**~End of Chapter 1~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is now the properly beta'd version!! Thank you, Pixie!
> 
> Also: Here's where the fic starts to earn that "Explicit" rating.  
> =======

            The next day, Shiro stood at attention as Major Iverson looked over the information he’d presented to him (making sure Pidge’s name was nowhere on it). “We’re sure these aren’t just nutjobs?” It was barely a question. Iverson looked up at Shiro for an answer regardless.

            “As sure as we can be, sir. It’s still being looked into; we’ve got some leads we’re following. Not all the chatter’s credible, but we have good reason to believe some of it is.”

            Iverson sighed and tossed the tablet back onto his desk. “At ease. And sit down.”

            Shiro did so, helping himself to one of the chairs in the major’s on-site office.

            “I’m guessing you’ve got a Holt working on this.”

            “The information is…” Shiro began, but Iverson cut him off.

            “Don’t try to protect them from me! I know what they’re capable of.”

            He just nodded. “Aye, sir.”

            “Younger or older?”

            “Does it matter?”

            “Just answer the question.”

            “It’s Pidge, sir.”

            He groaned. “Then I’ve gotta take it seriously. Much as I can’t stand the little gremlin, she’s the best hacker we’ve got. She says this intel is solid, it’s solid. So, okay. The princess needs round-the-clock protection.” Iverson eyeballed him for a long few seconds.

            “Sir?”

            “She gave you her key card.”

            He nodded. “As I reported, sir, yes.”

            “I have to talk with DS about this, but I’m going to recommend you for the job. Take that team of misfits with you. They work well with you and each other, for some reason. Better than any of them do on their own. We’ll take care of perimeter patrol and security sweeps everywhere she goes, but I want you right there next to her at all times.”

            “Yes, sir, but… why me?”

            “She trusts you. Did you forget I was on Altea, too?”

            “No, sir.”

            “That young woman does what she wants when she wants, and everything else be damned. We try to saddle her with someone she doesn’t like or trust, she’ll throw her detail and then where will we be? She won’t kick up a fuss about you. And you’re a good man, Shiro. A good soldier. I know you’ll make sure she’s safe.”

            There was something in Iverson’s tone. Something… strange. Was he… hiding a smile? _I’ve got to be imagining that._ “Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best.”

            “I know you will. Let me get on the horn to the commander. For now, you pack your gear, head straight to the hotel. That penthouse suite has, what, three bedrooms in it?”

            “Yes, sir.”

            “Good. And don’t raid the mini-bar while you’re in there.”

            Shiro snorted and couldn’t help smiling. “Aye, sir.” He rose to leave.

            “Shiro? Don’t give her the details, hm? Just tell her we’re being extra careful about her safety.”

            “If you say so, sir, but why not tell her?”

            “She doesn’t know what humans are like. We don’t know how she’ll react to the news that there’s a bunch of loonies out there think she’s going to kill us all, even if only some of them are actual threats.”

            “I think you’re selling her short, sir.”

            And Iverson was studying him again. Shiro tried not to shift under the stare. “Fine. Use your best judgement on whether to tell her or not. Remind her we don’t want to do anything that makes those wackos look like they’re right.”

            “She’s not going to go on some B-movie rampage, sir.”

            “I know she’s not because you’re going to make sure of that. Dismissed.”

            Shiro turned and left. _First things first, contact the guys, let them know what’s going on. Pack my gear, and then I’ll have to let Allu-… the princess know._

“You’re going to be staying here?” This was the best news she’d had on the whole trip.

            Takashi nodded. “Yes, in one of the spare bedrooms. The rest of my team is taking some empty rooms on the 19th floor to look after the rest of the diplomatic team, and we’ve got plainclothes security in the lobby.”

            She cocked her head. “You do know that we can take care of ourselves.”

            He sighed. “I know. Believe me, I know. But we don’t want to scare the public into believing these crazy theories are correct.”

            “We have purely defensive capabilities.”

            “And we’re just being cautious. We have to do our best to protect you while you’re here. What would your father think otherwise?”

            She snorted. “As if I’d tell him.”

            “Princess.”

            She smiled. “I prefer you use my name.”

            “I’m not here for… personal reasons.”

            “I know, but while we are here together, alone, is there any reason to use my rank? I’ll just call you ‘Shiro,’ you call me ‘Allura.’ What’s wrong with that?”

            “Nothing, I suppose.” He started taking his things towards the bedroom next to hers. “How’d you sleep last night?”

            “Very well, thank you.” She followed him to continue the conversation. “Dinner was nice, too. I asked the chef what he’d recommend, and he sent up a fillet mignone with a…”

            He stopped and turned back to her. “Filay meenyon.”

            “I’m sorry?”

            “It’s French. It’s pronounced ‘filay meenyon,’ not ‘fillet mignone.’”

            “Oh! Say it again?” He did, and she repeated it. When he nodded, she smiled. “Thank you. Well, this filet mignon was very good! The lobster tail was a bit crunchy though.”

            “Um… You don’t eat the shell. Just the soft part.”

            “Why would the shell be on the plate if you don’t eat it?”

            “Decoration.”

            “That seems a bit much.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Will you help me learn how to eat properly then? And pronounce everything correctly?”

            He chuckled. “I’d be glad to. Now you’ve got a meeting with the EGC liaison in fifteen minutes, so I’m going to…”

            “Stay right here until I receive word that she’s arrived. Then you can go down and bring her up.”

            He sighed. “As you wish. Is there anything you want to go over beforehand?”

            “No, it should be fine. Will you be staying through the meeting?”

            “I am detailed to be at your side at all times.”

            She grinned and swooped in close to him. “ _All_ times?”

            “Allura…” he protested.

            She giggled and walked away. “I couldn’t help it.”

            “Uh-huh.” He didn’t sound like he believed her. “No flirting around the liaison, please.”

            “Can I flirt when she’s gone?”

            She heard him snort in amusement. “After she’s gone, you have a luncheon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States.”

            “Did you memorize my schedule?”

            “All part of the job.”

            She huffed. “You’re supposed to be my bodyguard, not my secretary.”

            “I am a man of many talents.”

            “I’ll say you are,” she purred from the living room.

            “I HEARD THAT!” he called, still unpacking.

            “Are you blushing yet?”

            He didn’t answer.

            “I’m taking that as a yes.”

            The phone rang. Allura sighed. “She’s early.”

            “Keep her waiting,” Shiro advised.

            “What?”

            “Acknowledge her presence and keep her waiting. Your time is your own; don’t let them push you onto _their_ schedule.”

            She grinned. “You know these are your own people.”

            “We’re all humans, but they’re not my people.”

            “Doesn’t the Garrison report to the EGC?”

            “It’s just my advice; you don’t have to take it.”

            She picked up the phone. “Hello?”

            “Hello, Princess, this is the front desk. You have a visitor: a Ms. Warburton from the EGC.”

            “Very good. Let her know I will send someone down to her momentarily.” She hung up the phone. “You’re sure I’m not offending her?”

            “If you keep her waiting past the scheduled time, you’ll offend her.” He walked out of the room and leaned against the doorframe. “Seeing her on schedule really gives her nothing to be upset about.” He looked to the wall, and she turned to see what he was looking at: the clock. “The elevator ride takes…”

            She looked back at him. “You timed the elevator?”

            “Of course I did. Part of security protocols.”

            “Or you’re just trying to impress me.”

            He grinned at her. “I’ll head down in five minutes. By the time I get down there, greet her, escort her to the elevator, and we ride back up, she’ll be here in your quarters at exactly the right time.”

            “Going above and beyond the call of duty, aren’t you?”

            “A little,” he acknowledged. He pushed off the doorframe to stand up straight and walked two steps closer to her. “I know you, Allura. I know you can be a lot of help to us here on Earth. So I want to help you convince everyone else. I’m no diplomat, but if there’s one thing the military has, it’s our spectacular sense of timing.”

            She laughed. “I’m glad I have you in my corner, Shiro. You’d be a formidable opponent otherwise.”

            He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and cleared his throat. “I’m happy you think so.”

            “What were you going to say?”

            “Something I shouldn’t have.”

            She couldn’t help frowning. “I’d rather you spoke your mind. And your heart.”

            “I’m afraid what will happen if I do.”

            “Afraid of what? Not me, surely?”

            He shook his head. “I’m not afraid of you. At least, so long as I don’t try to pick up the same _iffrhin_ roll at dinner.”

            She couldn’t help giggling. “That was _my_ roll. It was meant to be mine. You had no right to take it from me!”

            “I didn’t see your name on it, Princess.” But he was clearly amused, using her title teasingly.

            “Could you have read my name if it _had_ been on it?”

            “Well, not then, but now I could.”

            “So maybe it was on there and you just didn’t recognize it.”

            “There was nothing on it! It was a roll!”

            “It was my destiny to eat that roll.”

            “I’m sorry to have denied you your destiny; if it’s any consolation, it was delicious.” He glanced at the clock again. “Sit down there, on the sofa. Read something interesting. When we come up, set what you’re reading down and rise to greet the liaison. Remember, she’s here on your turf, on your time.”

            “I know how to make a first impression.”

            “Yes, you do.” He walked over to the elevator. “Oh, and you have broccoli in your teeth.”

            “What? I do not!” She hurried to a mirror. “I don’t even know what that is!” The mirror showed absolutely nothing stuck in her teeth, and she whipped her head towards the elevator.

            “Made you look,” he said with a grin, just before the doors closed.

            She snorted and shook her head. It wasn’t quite what she’d been hoping for, but it was still fun just to be with him, to have him around. She silently blessed those unfortunates who believed the worst of her, because they had brought Takashi back into her life.

 

 

            When they got back to the room that night, Shiro was surprised by how much his feet hurt. He hadn’t even noticed how long he’d been standing and walking, because he was always paying attention to something else: security measures, potential weak points, figuring out the best places to take cover if needed, or, of course, chatting with Allura in between her appointments. She would flirt, he would banter, they would laugh together. It was fun, but he refused to let it distract him from keeping her safe.

            What really wowed him though was watching her in discussions with some of the most important people on Earth. Today was supposed to be a meet-and-greet, both sides sort of feeling each other out. So there was no diplomatic team, no entourage, just the princess – and her judgement – alone.

            He’d never seen her do more in discussions than be civil and polite. But then, all of the important talks back on Altea had been between Ambassador Roberts and King Alfor. So watching her “work,” as it were, just floored him. She was quite definitely on a charm offensive, here to soothe and reassure these important people that she understood their concerns and was, in fact, here for peace. When she encountered resistance – like, say, from the Chief of the Marine Corps – she handled it so deftly that it nearly left Shiro’s head spinning. He couldn’t even remember what she’d said or how, only that when the meeting was over, it was all amiable smiles. He was sure some of it was acting, but the tension that had walked into the room with the Joint Chiefs had lessened considerably by the time they walked out again.

            Princess Allura of Altea radiated a confident and easy-going nature, secure in herself, with nothing to worry about. But Shiro could see the cracks in her mask. At the luncheon, she ordered the same thing the Vice Chairman ordered and subtly took in cues on flatware and how they ate. An expression the others in the room probably took to be contemplative Shiro read as confusion – especially as it almost always occurred after some idiom or slang term. She rolled with the context rather than asking, as she had done when such phrases had come up on her own homeworld.

            Still, her ability to do all of this subtly, to keep their eyes away from her uncertainties, to just manage a room like that… _No one can doubt she’s been raised to lead._

            Meeting after meeting, appointment after appointment. It ate the entire day and the early evening away, but Shiro didn’t dare show any weakness of his own until they got back to the suite. “FINALLY,” he sighed in relief as the elevator door closed behind them.

            Allura giggled. “Tired?”

            “Footsore.” He crossed to the sofa and began untying his shoes. “Are you hungry?”

            “Famished,” she agreed. “My lunch was not very filling.”

            “Yeah, I guess the Vice Chairman’s on a diet or something.”

            Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

            He grinned and explained everything he’d noticed her doing. She seemed miffed at first, then defensive, and then just sighed and threw up her hands. “I thought I was doing so well!”

            “You were!” He rose and walked over to her. “You did a great job! I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who noticed, and even that’s only because I already know you so well.” He rubbed her arms. “Don’t worry about it.”

            She hugged him, and he returned it, patting her back. “Let’s get some food, hm?” he suggested.

            “You choose,” she said from against his chest.

            “Oh man, I have my choice of what to eat at one of the best hotels in the world? I’m not sure I can make that decision.”

            “Well, you have to, or I’ll starve. Wither away and die.” She started slumping towards the floor.

            “Whoa, hey now!” He bent and scooped her up. “We can’t have that.”

            She giggled and looped her arms around his neck. “Well, you’ll have to choose then.”

            “You planned this.” He carried her to the sofa.

            “Absolutely.”

            He laid her down gently. “Rest up. I’ll go order something.”

            But she wasn’t letting go of him. “You could stay here a little longer. If you wanted.”

            His eyes searched her face. She was grinning like she was teasing him, but there was a plea in her gaze. He sighed and leaned down to kiss her forehead, then moved to get her hands off him. “I’m hungry. You’re hungry. Let me get our food order in.” He stood up. “Before you waste away, remember?”

            “Okay.” She sat up and he thought he caught her pouting before he went to the phone to call down to the kitchen. Once that was done, he went to his room to hang up his uniform jacket, get rid of the tie and earpiece, unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, take off his socks, that sort of thing. He made sure to keep his belt and sidearm on though.

            “How long until the food arrives?” Allura called from the main room.

            “About forty minutes they said.”

            “Good, I’m going to take a shower.” She popped her head into his doorway. “Would you care to join me?”

            He could already feel his face catching fire. “Someone has to be here to get the food when it shows up.”

            “It’ll be a quick shower.”

            “Not if I join you, it won’t be.”

            She blushed and giggled and left him alone. He returned to the main room and turned on the TV, trying to find something not entirely idiotic to distract him from the thought of showering with Allura. When nothing did the trick, he just left it on a nature program – something about lions – and let his mind wander.

            _I’m here to **protect** her, not sleep with her. Again. I shouldn’t have slept with her last time, but goddammit yes I should have, it was the most wonderful night of my life and it’s torture to be this close to her and not… but I need to be close to her to protect her, and it’s hard to get much closer than in the same bed, her in my arms, and me in hers, and… I Cannot. Not here, on Earth, where I have so many more people to answer to, so many more people who could find out. But the hotel doesn’t have cameras in the penthouse suite. So who’s going to find out? But I’LL know. Keith’ll know as soon as he looks at me. Hell, Iverson might already know. I can’t take the chance. But then Iverson arranged for me to be here. And…_

He shut off the TV, stood and paced, still lost in his racing thoughts, balancing duty and desire and trying to figure out if they could or even should co-exist. _They shouldn’t._ But today had just given him even more reasons to fall in love with her. This was going to be the hardest assignment of his life.

            Allura came out in one of the soft, plush hotel robes, hair still dripping a little. He couldn’t help staring at her, and she smiled at him. But then the phone rang.

            He went to answer it; as expected, it was the kitchen confirming they were on their way up. He hung it up and relayed that to her. “Go wait in your bedroom. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.”

            “Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “They brought my food up yesterday without killing me!”

            “That was yesterday. I’m here now, my job is to protect you, now go wait in your room.”

            “You’re not my father.”

            “Thank goodness.”

            She stuck her tongue out at him but went to her bedroom and shut the door just before the elevator dinged.

            He greeted the chef (who had brought it up personally) and let him arrange things on the dining room table, setting it all up nicely as he chatted. “Will you be dining with the princess from now on?”

            “Yes, unless she has a state dinner or something like that. I’m part of her security detail.”

            “Ah, good, good. Any dietary restrictions I need to know about?”

            “I don’t like asparagus? Other than that, I’m good.”

            The chef laughed. “And where is the princess?”

            “She just got out of the shower; she’ll be out in a moment.”

            “Good! I don’t want the food to get cold! Enjoy!” And the chef headed back to the elevator.

            Shiro waited until the elevator closed and turned to go knock on Allura’s bedroom door, but it opened before he got there. She walked out in a long, flowing nightgown, modest and becoming, in a light shade of pink. “I assume it’s safe now?”

            He nodded. “Yes, you can come eat.”

            “What did you order?” She practically ran over to the table and pulled the lid off her plate.

            “Grilled salmon and broccoli for you.”

            “Isn’t that the stuff you said I had in my teeth earlier?”

            He grinned. “Well, you said you didn’t know what it was. I figured I’d fix that.”

            “Did you get the same thing for yourself?”

            “No,” he said, sitting. “I got shrimp scampi with linguine. I figured you could try a bite of mine and see if you like it.”

            She beamed as she sat down. “Clever man.”

            He taught her about putting the napkin in one’s lap, about how to eat long pasta like this (both the polite and the impolite-but-fun slurping way, which she enjoyed), and how to set her silverware when she was done. She also offered him a bite of her salmon, holding the fork out to him. She seemed happy when he took it straight off her fork. He fed her a shrimp in return (and told her that they were not, in fact, baby lobsters).

            They talked about the next day’s schedule – mostly meetings – and discussed the day just past. The night fell, and they were still at the table, talking. It wasn’t until he noticed the clock said eleven PM that he came back to himself.

            “We should be getting to bed.” He stood. “It’s getting late, and your first appointment…”

            “…is eleven hours away. Stop fussing. I already have one nanny on this trip, I don’t need another.”

            “Oh, is Coran here? I should say hi.”

            She laughed and rose elegantly from her seat. “At least come and show me how to make this ‘television’ display something interesting?”

            He shrugged. “Sure. Let me clear the table first.” He started gathering the dishes together.

            “So polite, so thoughtful,” and her voice was warm.

            He cleared his throat and tried not to focus on how she’d said it. “It’s how I was raised,” he said as he ferried the dishes to the kitchen.

            “I should congratulate your parents. They did an excellent job.”

            He shook his head. “Dad died in a training accident when I was young. Mom passed a couple years ago.”

            “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…”

            “It’s okay, you didn’t upset me.”

            “I give you my condolences on the loss of your parents.”

            “Thank you, Allura. There. All in one place for housekeeping. Okay, so, TV. What sort of program are you interested in watching?”

            “Anything, so long as it’s not about politics,” she groaned.

            He couldn’t help laughing. He sat down on the sofa – ignoring how close she sat next to him – and turned on the TV. He channel-surfed slowly until she asked him to stop. In the end, they wound up watching one of those home renovation shows. Allura was very opinionated on the homeowners’ choices. “But the lighter granite would look so much nicer with the cabinets they have picked out!”

            “I dunno, I think the darker granite makes a statement,” he murmured.

            “Is that statement ‘the homeowners have no taste’?” she shot back, causing him to snicker.

            They watched a few of those shows back to back and then Allura stretched. Shiro couldn’t help watching the action: her arms reached up towards the ceiling, her back arching just a little, her eyes closed and a look of contentment on her face. _Stop that_ , he chided himself. _Protection, dammit. You’re here to protect her, nothing more._

            When she finished, she smiled at him. “I think that’s enough. I should go to bed now.”

            He shut the TV off and nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you in the morning.”

            She leaned in towards him.

 _I really shouldn’t…_ He didn’t move.

            But she just pressed her lips against his cheek and left them there for a long moment. It was cold where her lips had been when she left, and the brush of her breath against his skin when she said, “Good night,” made him shiver.

            He opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – and watched her stand and turn towards her bedroom. She was pulling her nightgown off and he realized almost immediately that she didn’t have anything on underneath. But she shut the door behind her.

            He swallowed hard and tried to find a distraction from what he’d just seen. Turning off various lights and setting his alarm took only a few minutes, even after he double-checked everything. He shut his own door and tried not to think of Allura naked on the other side of That Wall. He stripped down to his underwear, setting his sidearm on the nightstand next to him. He stared at the wall for a long moment, then turned his own light off and laid down, pulling the covers up over him.

            Almost immediately he heard a soft moan. It was coming from the other side of the wall, from Allura’s bedroom. _She’s… just getting comfy as she falls asleep_ , he told himself. But then it happened again. He couldn’t help listening – there was no other sound – and her moaning steadily increased in frequency and volume. He was reacting to her voice, muffled as it was, and it was getting harder to deny what she must be doing over there.

            And then…

            “Takashiii,” followed by a gasp and a trembling, “Yesss.”

            That was it. He was never going to get to sleep so long as she was doing this, and the way she moaned his name in such rapturous desire had gotten him too hard to sleep anyway. He tossed the covers off and slid his hand into his boxer briefs.

            She was still going. “Ahhh, just like that! Mmmm.”

            _Fuck._ He started stroking fast. He felt like he had to catch up with her for some reason. He wanted to get himself off just as she came, and he hoped she’d continue to be this loud. It was torture, but it was at least something, some way of being with her.

            She moaned his name again, louder. It sounded like she’d turned towards the wall between their rooms, as if she was seeking the same connection he was. He closed his eyes and imagined her in her bed, finger-fucking herself to thoughts of him.

            “Takashi, I need you so badly,” she whimpered.

            He wanted to go to her. He stayed where he was, physically at least. In his mind, he went to her room, took her into his arms, and kissed her, long and hard.

            He heard her say, “Please…”

            He pushed his underwear down out of his way and imagined himself laying her back down onto her bed. How eagerly she’d spread her legs for him, so he could push himself into her.

            She moaned again, loud and guttural, and he almost lost control right there. “Allura,” he whispered into the darkness of his room.

            But she was still loud, groaning and sighing and urging him on in Altean. He could understand her words now, most of them. Some were quite definitely not on the approved vocabulary lists, but he could figure them out from context.

            “That’s it. Right there,” she was saying in her native tongue. “Please don’t ever stop, Takashi, please.”

            “I won’t,” he promised out loud, keeping his voice quiet. If she heard him… He couldn’t think about that right now. He focused on staying in the fantasy.

            “More, please give me more. I need you, only you.”

            “ _FUCK_ ,” and he was almost sure she might’ve heard that, but he didn’t care. She’d asked for more and so he was stroking himself harder, trying to imagine he was inside her. She’d be wetter than this, hotter, much tighter, and she’d be clinging to him. Her body beneath him, her legs wrapped around him to keep him deep within her.

            “I don’t want anyone else ever again. Only you. Oh, _gods_ , no one can fuck me like you can.”

            He couldn’t reply to that. He was getting close, but he wanted to hear her come.

            She was back to his name now, gasping it in between panting breaths. “I’m going to… oh, Takashi, I…”

            “Come for me, princess,” he said. “Come with me.”

            And she did, as if she really could hear him, as if they really were together. He assumed she did anyway; it was just how she’d sounded back on Altea so long ago. He could almost feel her clenching around his cock, and he came, turning his head into his pillow to muffle his groaning.

            He laid there, catching his breath, staring over at the wall. He didn’t know if he wanted her to start up again or not. But, regardless, no further sound came from her room.

            His hands fumbled to pull his underwear up, and he waited another few long minutes. When silence continued, he rose and went to take a shower. He paused outside her door for a moment, then two, and then pushed himself on towards the bathroom. A quick – and cold – shower so that he could get to sleep.

            _This assignment is going to kill me._

**~End of Chapter 2~**

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [pixie_rings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) for lending me the use of her brain, and one word in particular. :3  
> ==============

            The next day was much like the one before, with a different cast of characters. More world leaders, anxious to bow before her and discuss peace. Shiro watched her charm them all, especially once her translator picked up their languages so she could speak to them in their own tongue. He had to stifle a laugh when she told the French president that she’d loved the filet mignon.

            He got various reports through the day from Pidge and his team. More people crossed off the list as not being a threat after all. He breathed a sigh of relief. Iverson sent him a message with updates on the security protocols. He’d brought in Mulcahy to oversee the situation on the ground during the princess’s upcoming EGC address. Shiro didn’t like Mulcahy personally, but the man was a hardass, so he was likely a good choice. He wasn’t going to let anything slip by him.

            Allura was also allowed a little time to shop at a designated (pre-security-screened and heavily patrolled) mall and given a stipend to spend. He was sure she was tormenting him when she went into a lingerie store and asked his opinion on various lacy bits of nothing. But mostly she bought gifts for her father, her cousin, and her friends. Shiro pointed the Godiva chocolate store out to her and almost immediately regretted it, as she tried to sample everything in the place.

            By the time they returned to the suite for dinner, he was laden with her purchases. “What are we going to eat tonight?” she asked him brightly.

            “I don’t care, you pick,” he answered, trying to put the bags down respectfully and not just drop them to the floor. “Or ask the chef to.”

            She brightened and went to call down to the kitchen. “Be a dear and put those in my room, will you?” she asked.

            He sighed and picked the bags up again, hauling them into her bedroom. For some reason, he expected there’d be some sign of last night’s… pre-sleep activity, but, of course there wasn’t. Housekeeping had come through and everything was pristine. _Too bad I can’t wipe it from my mind as easily._ He wasn’t sure he could take another night of that.

            Allura, again, went to take a shower while they awaited their food, and Shiro, again, took the opportunity to make himself as comfortable as he could be. He was willing to forego the earpiece but not his sidearm. Just in case.

            Dinner showed up, and it was excellent, of course. They talked about the day and not at all about the night before, which suited him just fine, honestly. He teased her about her first taste of chocolate, she teased him about his face when she’d held that black teddy up against herself, they both laughed. And, as usual, they talked into the dark hours of the night without noticing.

            “Okay, well now it’s midnight,” he said when he finally did check the clock. “Enough talking, time for bed.” He rose.

            She got to her feet as well, elegant and graceful as ever. But her voice, when she spoke, was edged with anxiety. “I… have something else I want to say. I probably shouldn’t, but if we are to be friends, we should be honest with each other, don’t you think?”

            “We _are_ friends.”

            “We are, true, but we’re also more than that.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “At least, that’s what it feels like to me. Maybe I’m reading it all wrong and Earthlings are different from Alteans in this way, but when we were together on Altea – not just in my bed, but even before that – it felt like being with you was exactly where I should be. I thought you felt the same.”

            He exhaled roughly. “You’re right, you shouldn’t say this.” He started gathering the dishes up as he had done the night before.

            She put a hand on one of his to stop him. “I need you to know how I feel. I don’t want anything unspoken between us. And I want to understand. I’ve been wrong about things here on Earth; it’s not beyond belief that I could have been wrong about us.”

            He pulled away from her hand, regretfully, so he could take the dishes to the kitchen. “This is the sort of thing I was talking about before. This is exactly what I’m afraid of talking about.”

            “You seem the sort of person to face their fears,” she said, following him.

            “I know how this one will play out.”

            “How?”

            “Nuh-uh, that’s a trap. I’m not falling for that.” He set the dishes down and brushed past her to go back to the main room.

            “I’m not trying to trap you. I’m offering and asking for honesty.”

            “You want me to…”

            “To be honest with me!”

            “…to be with you again,” he finished lamely.

            “That would be nice, but you’ve already said no to that. I don’t want to force you.”

            “Not force me, no; just seduce me again?” He regretted it as soon as he said it.

            She frowned. “Back on Altea, I wasn’t trying to coerce you into anything you didn’t want to do. I wanted you to know what I wanted.”

            He stopped walking. She was still behind him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it that way.”

            “You wanted to have sex with me, didn’t you?”

            He couldn’t help blushing at how bluntly she spoke. “Very much.”

            “And it was then as it is now: only your belief that we shouldn’t be together was holding you back?”

            He nodded but didn’t say anything.

            “Do you regret that we made love?”

            “Not for an instant.”

            He heard her sigh in relief. “Then, please, let me say this. Let me know if I’ve been mistaken, and once I’ve got it all out, I’ll go to sleep, and we can continue on as friends. Please?”

            This was going to be difficult. But he’d overcome obstacles before. He turned around to face her. “Okay.”

            Her smile was a little nervous. She took a few steps closer to him but kept herself at arms’ reach. She had her hands clasped together in front of her, and he watched her square her shoulders and lift her chin just a little. “I wanted to have you as a lover the moment I saw you, but getting to know you when you were on Altea… I’ve never known anyone like you. I’ve never been as comfortable with anyone as I have been with you. And when we kissed that last night, back on Altea, when you touched me, when you so much as breathed against my skin, it made me realize how much I wanted you. Not just sexually. I wanted to wake up to your smile, hear your laughter, hold your hand and know that you would always be by my side.  

            “I’ve had my share of partners. They were fun, they were engaging, some were very charming indeed. But none of them have ever made me feel like they were indispensable. None of them have centered and calmed me, excited and aroused me in the same ways you have.”

            He tried to remember the trip to the Antarctic test site before the Altea mission. Focusing on the cold and the wind, because she was only making things harde-…more difficult.

            And she was still speaking. “I thought you felt the same way. I thought that we had a bond unlike any I’d ever experienced in my life. Just seeing you again when I arrived here made my heart lighten so much I thought it would float away and take me with it. So, this is what it comes down to.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “I love you. I loved you even before you left. I just couldn’t say it then; it hurt me too much, and I thought it would hurt you as well. I believed you returned my love. And if we can’t be together for now, so be it. I’ll wait. I’ll figure out some way to be with you, but only if that’s truly what you want. And if it isn’t, please tell me now. Let me start getting over you now.”

            Her gaze was steady, but her eyes were starting to dampen. Her lower lip trembled a little and he noticed her hands were clasped so tightly that she was shaking.

            Shiro closed his eyes and swore under his breath. He licked his lips, took a shuddering breath, and tried to steady himself before he looked at her again. He hesitated, but then put his hands on her arms. “Come here.” He tugged her towards him, and she came willingly, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He held her and stroked her hair.

            “You… you weren’t wrong. Even if I shouldn’t be with you, I want to. I love you, too, Allura. All this time without you has been… I mean, I’ve functioned. I haven’t been miserable, exactly, but I’ve been…”

            “Lonelier than you knew it was possible to be,” she finished, voice muffled by his chest.

            He nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. I want to be with you all the time, and when I was told I’d be heading up your security detail, I have to admit, I was overjoyed.” He gave her a squeeze and nuzzled his nose into her hair. It smelled slightly different, because of the hotel’s shampoo, but it was still her, and he closed his eyes to revel in having her this close. “Just to be next to you every day… I thought it’d be enough.”

            “Is that what you’re afraid of? That it won’t be enough?”

            “Sort of. I’m afraid of how quickly I’ll throw away my duty to have you again. This is… this is all I ever wanted, from back when I was a little boy: to be a space explorer, to fly into the stars, to find new people out there and learn about them. This is all I’ve wanted, all I’ve known. I took an oath to obey my superiors, so long as their orders don’t conflict with my own conscience. I don’t want to break my word.”

            “What does your conscience say?”

            “I don’t even know anymore. Everything in me wants to be with you, but I swore…”

            She pulled away from him, just enough so they could look at each other again. She was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Is it wrong to be with me?”

            “Don’t ask me that right now. I can’t think straight with you in my arms.”

            “Then let go of me.”

            He was quiet a long moment. “I …don’t think I can.”

            “Then don’t. Hold on and don’t ever let go, Takashi.”

            His name on her lips again broke his last line of resistance. He kissed her, knowing it was too late to go back now. Her word was the only thing that could stop him, and she was holding him tightly again, her tongue inviting his into her mouth. He’d been so long without her; he needed oxygen, but kissing her like this, he felt like he could finally breathe again for the first time in months.

            Actually, something did stop him, and it wasn’t her words: it was the subtle shift of weight on his hip. He pulled away quickly and stepped back. “Whoa, whoa, careful.” He pulled the holster off as she pulled her hand away from it.

            “What is that? You didn’t have it with you on Altea.”

            “I did, it was just in my room. It’s a firearm, and I don’t want you to accidentally set it off.”

            “It shoots fire?”

            He walked towards her bedroom. “In a sense, but that’s just muzzle flash, it’s not what usually wounds the target. Look, the point is, no touchy the gun, okay?” He set it on the nightstand nearest the door. “I have to sleep on this side, do you understand? So I can be between you and any danger that might come through that door.”

            She smiled at him from the doorway. “Still trying to protect me.”

            “I am _going_ to protect you,” he promised. He walked over and slid his arms around her. “With my life if I have to.”

            “I don’t want you to die,” she told him sternly.

            “I don’t intend to. Now, where were we?”

            She smiled, her hands running from his waist up along his torso to his chest. “We were right about… HERE!” and she shoved him backwards.

            “Hey!” He laughed as he hit the edge of the bed.

            She was grinning as she pounced on him, knocking him onto his back on the mattress. “But you are sleeping here with me tonight, yes?”

            “Absolutely,” he promised, reaching up to tuck some of her hair behind one of her ears.

            “ _Only_ sleeping, or…?”

            He leaned up and whispered, “I need to hear you moan my name again. I have to hear it from _you_ and not just as an echo in my memory.”

            And when he looked back to her face, she kissed him passionately. He moaned at the back of his throat. It still amazed him that this incredible alien princess wanted him at all, let alone this desperately. He pulled her closer and rolled them over so he was on top. He kissed his way over to her ear, which he knew was sensitive, and was rewarded with a gasp.

            Her hands slid along his body to his belt, which was quickly removed and literally thrown away. He was tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue; occasionally her breath would hitch and then she’d redouble her efforts at getting his clothes off. Once she’d opened enough buttons, he sat up to get the shirt off, and she grinned at him, running her hands over his torso and pulling him back down to her.

            She turned the tables on him, rolling them over and pushing him down. Her breath was hot against his ear as she whispered, “I need something _so_ badly, Takashi.”

            “And what’s that?” he asked.

            She pushed herself up so he could see her smirking and then she slid down along his body. “Well, first we need to get these pants off.”

            He laid there and watched her unfasten his pants, then raised his hips to help her pull them off. His boxer briefs came next, of course, while Allura tutted about all this “unnecessary wrapping.” He couldn’t help laughing a little.

            “What am I, a gift?”

            “Absolutely.” She slid up along his now naked body to kiss his cheek and say softly, “The very best gift I’ve ever had.”

            “Ah, and who gave me to you?”

            “The universe.” She was running her hand over his skin, slowly.

            He smiled. “Very metaphysical of you, Princess.”

            “Hush.” And then she took hold of his growing erection.

            He lolled his head back, let his eyes fall closed. “As you wish.” It occurred to him she wouldn’t know that reference, but he honestly didn’t care.

            He remembered how, the first time they were together, he hadn’t even thought to ask about contraception. He’d been lost in the fantasy of the situation and forgotten the reality. He opened his eyes and asked now.

            She laughed. “I have a hormonal blocker inserted. I cannot get pregnant.”

            “What about disease? I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything, but you don’t know that, and we’re technically aliens to each other, and…”

            She stopped stroking him to lay a finger against his lips. “My ship’s cryo-replenishers can take care of any disease I pick up from you, or that you pick up from me, for that matter – though I assure you I have none. Remember when we scanned you upon your arrival on Altea?” He nodded, and she explained, “One of the things that scan did was provide us with a baseline of your biology. Our cryo-replenishers will know what’s wrong with you and how to fix it if you should contract _any_ illness or injury.”

            Once she’d pulled her finger away, he said, “Are you sure I shouldn’t wear a condom? Just in case?”

            When she cocked her head in confusion, he explained what a condom was. She pouted at him when he finished. “But Takashiii…”

            “What?” He was suspicious of the wobbly lower lip and the drawn-out use of his name (even as he loved hearing her say it).

            She smirked just a little and leaned towards him, lips a breath away from his. “I love feeling you explode within me, filling me with the proof of your joy.”

            He cleared his throat. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen.”

            “Trust me; nothing will.” She kissed him as he pondered. Her technology was vastly more advanced than theirs. He’d been given a full physical upon his return to Earth and checked out fine.

            She must’ve known it was still worrying him, because she sat up and asked, “Have you been with anyone else since you left?”

            “Anyone else?” he asked incredulously. “How could I? Who on Earth could compare to you? I don’t think anyone in the entire universe could.”

            She blushed and smiled. “And I have known no one’s touch but yours since that night. Unless you count my own.” She grinned, and he chuckled a little. “So I’d rather you not leave to go get this ‘cum-dam’ of yours.”

            “‘Condom,’ though your version might be more accurate. And okay, okay, you’ve convinced me.”

            “It’s good of you to be so thoughtful,” she said, laying down next to him and kissing his cheek. “It’s one of the things I love about you. Now close your eyes.”

            He did so, and she blessed him with a long, lingering kiss. Her hand slid down his body to pick up where she’d left off, stroking gently. Then the feel of her near his face vanished, and now she had both hands working him. Occasionally she’d massage his balls, but mostly she just stroked his cock, sometimes twisting her hand around the shaft, and giving the faintest lick of the head. He groaned and arched his hips a little, wanting more of… of everything.

            “You like that?” she asked smugly.

            “You know I do.”

            “I like to be sure.”

            “Is this what you wanted so badly?” he asked when he had enough breath to get the words out.

            “Not quite.” Her voice dropped, almost so low he couldn’t hear her, as she purred, “I need to taste you again, my love.”

            _Oh, fuck_. It was like she knew exactly what to say. “Well, what about me?”

            “What about you?” she asked, shifting to a more innocent tone just before she slid her mouth onto the head of his cock.

            He groaned louder, and it took him longer to remember what he’d wanted to say. “I want to taste you, too. It’s been so long.”

            “Maybe I want to be selfish.” She punctuated that with a long, slow lick from the base of his shaft all the way back to the top.

            “There’s no reason we can’t both get what we want here,” he pointed out to her.

            She didn’t respond or move at first, and he raised his head to look at her. She was pretending to consider it; he could tell the difference. She still had one hand wrapped around him, but was tapping her lips with one finger, seemingly contemplating. “But I’d have to let go and get up and _move_ …”

            He snorted. “You know I’ll make it worth your trouble.”

            “You’d better,” she charged, failing to hide her grin.

            “I promise,” he said.

            She sat up and pulled her nightgown off. Just like last night, she was naked, and he arched an eyebrow.

            “So sure I’d give in, were you?”

            “Not at all, actually. I wanted to at least fantasize about you before I went to sleep.”

            There was no point in lying now. “Like you did last night?”

            She smirked as she moved to get into position. “Oh, did you overhear me?” she asked in mock-innocence.

            “Every sigh, every moan,” he confirmed.

            “I heard you as well,” she replied.

            He groaned. “Dammit. I was trying to be quiet.”

            “My hearing is better than yours, remember? Were you pleasuring yourself to the sound of my voice?”

            “Yes, absolutely. That and imagining that I was actually in here with you.”

            “And now here you are. Isn’t this better?” she asked as she straddled his face.

            “Much.” He reached up to pull her hips down, lifting his head to get what he wanted that much sooner. He nuzzled his nose into her silver curls and she giggled. Then he used his hands to spread her open a little more so he could lap – just once – at her clit.

            She moaned softly and took hold of him again. He teased her with the tip of his tongue – short, quick licks – and she tormented him in return by only lightly tonguing the slit of his cock. He wondered how long he could hold out – how long _she_ could hold out – before giving in. He could smell her desire and it made him ache with need. And just before he gave in, just before he stopped teasing her, she slid her mouth onto him.

            He groaned and arched his hips, then set about returning the favor, sucking her clit into his mouth. She moaned around his cock, stroking it as she sucked, and he hummed in response. He dabbled his tongue inside of her, truly tasting her, but focused on what he knew would make her happiest.

            Somewhere along the way, it became a contest. He couldn’t have pinpointed the exact moment when it changed, but it had, and the game was who could make the other come first. He traced shapes over and around her clit then sucked hard until she had to take her mouth off him to gasp and breathe. Then she’d resume sucking him with a vengeance, and he’d let out a shuddering groan before going back to pleasing her.

            He was so close to winning – she was practically dripping – and then she had to go and, in a voice thick with ecstasy, moan, “Takashiiii,” right before she took him all the way in, all the way down to the base. And he was gone. It was so quick he couldn’t warn her, but she didn’t seem to care because he was still swallowed up in wet heat, her tongue still licking him as he came in her mouth.

            The first word he could manage again was, “ _Fuck_.” She moved away from his face and turned around to lay down beside him, stroking his chest with one hand.

            “I win.” She sounded very pleased with herself.

            “I can’t say… I entirely mind… losing,” he panted.

            She giggled and stroked his chest. “I’d forgotten how good you taste.”

            “I’m happy to remind you.” He leaned over and kissed the nearest part of her face. Maybe an eye. She just laughed again, and he told her, “You’re still just as delicious as I remember.”

            “Better than chocolate?”

            Now it was his turn to laugh. “Much better.”

            She looked down along his body. “You’re still hard.” She turned her face back to his and nuzzled in next to his ear. “Still hungry then?”

            “For you? Always.”

            “As I am for you, my love. But you look exhausted. Perhaps it’s better for you to just lay there for a bit?”

            He smirked. “If you want to be on top, you can just say so.”

            She beamed like she’d been granted a long-held wish and straddled him again – his legs this time. “This was one of my favorites when we were last together.”

            “Mmm, mine, too. You looked so incredible riding me in the moonlight. I thought I was dreaming.”

            “Don’t wake up,” she said. “Not yet.” He remembered she’d said that before.

            And he remembered his response. “I won’t.”

            She slid herself onto him, slowly, almost achingly slow. He watched her bite her lower lip as she adjusted to him. “Ahhh, I swear it always feels like you were meant to be inside me.”

            He didn’t answer, just bucked his hips a little, and she gasped and laughed at him. He grinned back and helped steady her with his hands. “Go slow,” he requested. “I’ll still be here in the morning and I want to savor you.”

            “Say it again.”

            He didn’t even have to ask. “I’ll still be here in the morning.”

            She sank a little farther down. “Ahh, again.”

            “I’m not going anywhere.”

            “Takashi…”

            “I’ll be right here next to y-…” And that was when she got him in all the way.

            She trembled and moaned. “I want to spend all night making love to you.” She almost sounded like she was begging.

            “Yes. Oh, god, yes, Allura.”

            “And fall asleep in your arms.”

            He grunted as she started moving. “Absolutely.”

            “And wake up next to you.”

            “I want it, too. Oh, Allura, I’ve wanted nothing but that for so long.”

            “Don’t leave, don’t leave…”

            “I’m not leaving. Oh fuck, Allura, how could I ever leave you?” He was half-babbling now, but it was true, it was all true. And it wasn’t just the sex, though that was great. It wasn’t just that most of his teenage fantasies had revolved around fucking an alien, though that was admittedly part of it.

            When they were together like this, it was more than just their bodies meeting. It was like something in him needed something in her, and vice versa. Not like completion. Like… enhancement. She made him more than he was, and somehow he knew it was the same for her. They had always been on the same mental wavelength, but now it was almost like they could read each other’s minds.

            He knew she was going to throw her head back and close her eyes to focus on the feel of him driving inside her as she sank down to meet him, and she did. She knew he wanted to touch more of her, so she took his hands and slid them up to her breasts. Their moans and sighs synced. He knew she was close, and when she looked at him again, he knew what she wanted him to do.

            She arched back as her climax hit, and he let her ride it, hands dropping to her hips to hold her steady as he held himself in check because she wanted more. She wanted the same thing he did: to be as close as possible, to come together. As she started to ease down, he pushed himself up, wrapping his arms around her.

            It was harder to move like this, but she met him thrust for thrust. She took hold of his head with both hands and locked her gaze with his as she started riding him harder. He let himself get lost in those otherworldly eyes, in the heat of the embrace. He surrendered every part of himself to her and accepted every part of her in return.

            He knew she had a marking in the small of her back, like a V spread wide, and he stroked it as they moved in concert. She whimpered a “yes” in Altean, followed by an “again,” and even if he didn’t know a word of her language he would have known what she’d said. He kept it up, running his fingers over the now sweat-slick mark that was increasingly warm to his touch as she pleasured herself on his cock.

            Her hands dropped to his shoulders, her nails gripping tight, and she leaned in and panted against his ear, “I can never get enough of you, Takashi. Ahhh, I’ve never… ever… been fucked so perfectly…” and it was all straight out of every wet dream he’d ever had, like she was mining his fantasies.

            And the words she needed to hear came to him, though he had to claw for air enough to say them. “You are so perfect just… the way… you are… Allura…”

            She didn’t have to say “come with me”: he heard it in his mind, felt it in his heart, every fiber of his being thrummed with her love and her need and he couldn’t have stopped himself even if he’d wanted to. It was the hardest and best orgasm he’d ever known, buried deep within the tight heat of her body. It was like he could feel her own pleasure flooding his veins, mixing with his own ecstasy, becoming one. He fell back to the mattress and took her with him, refusing to let go of her.

            They laid there and got their breath back, occasionally kissing or nuzzling one another. Shiro pushed some of her hair out of her face, and she smiled at him. “Don’t leave,” she whispered.

            “I’m not going to.”

            “Don’t go to sleep yet, either.” She grinned. “We have so much lost time to make up for.”

            He kissed her nose. “We can’t stay up all night. You have another busy day tomorrow.”

            “I know, I know. I wish I could just stay here with you.”

“We both have duties to attend to.”

            “First things first though: I seem to be in need of another shower, and you haven’t showered at all yet.”

            “That requires standing,” he pointed out, “and walking.”

            “I’ll make it worth your while.”

            He laughed. “You’d better.”

            “I promise.”

            Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and he took a moment to kiss her softly, letting his lips linger against hers. It was still there, at the back of his mind, that he shouldn’t be doing this. There were rules and regulations. But he couldn’t stop loving and needing her, and nothing could stop him from feeling like he was exactly where he should be right now.

 

 

            Allura awoke to domestic bliss. Takashi was, as promised, still next to her, but he was already awake, smiling at her. She smiled back and pulled him in for a kiss, but then he reminded her of her schedule. She pouted but sat up and stretched. He left to get dressed and call in a breakfast order. She took a moment to think back to last night, and then she bounced off her bed and ran for her aetherite cube.

            “Mother!”

            “Good morning, my flower. You sound extremely happy.”

            “My quintessence synced with Takashi’s!”

            There was a pause. “Well, no wonder you’re so happy! Oh, my baby girl has found her _arlnath_!”

            She blushed but didn’t deny it. Why would she? It was obviously true. “Oh, Mother, it was so wonderful! I understand now why the poets always complained about not having words to describe it! You just… you move past words and just _feel_ what the other is feeling and it’s marvelous and that sense of being so deeply connected to someone else is like nothing else ever, and I…”

            “Slow down!” her mother’s voice laughed. “I can’t keep up!”

            “Is this how it was with you and Father?”

            Her mother made a strange noise. “Well…”

            Her smile faded. “Father was not your _arlnath_?”

            “I loved your father and he loved me. But bonding like this is rare, dearest daughter. And just because you two are _arlnaths_ doesn’t mean that you don’t still need to talk to one another.”

            “I know, I know. I think it’s only because we were so open and honest with each other that it happened this time. We were both holding back the last time. Our talking about our feelings and fears is what enabled us to reach that point.” She sighed. “I’m sad to know that you and Father didn’t have this feeling.”

            “We cared very much for each other and for you. We love you and I am so happy that _you_ get to experience the joy of bonding with another. A parent longs for their child’s happiness, after all.”

            Takashi poked his head in. “Who are you talking to?”

            “Mother.” She held out the aetherite cube towards him. “The travel version, as it were.”

            “Oh. Uh, do I need to…” He held two fingers out towards the cube.

            “Not with this one,” she told him, smiling. “She can’t get a sense of you like this, but she can talk and listen when I activate her. She sleeps otherwise.”

            “So, no, I didn’t overhear what you two were up to last night,” her mother’s voice said. “More’s the pity. I would have enjoyed that.”

            “Mother!” she hissed at the cube as Takashi turned bright red. Her mother just laughed.

            He cleared his throat. “It’s, uh… good to finally meet you, Your Majesty.”

            “So polite!” Her mother gushed. “What a very nice voice! And so handsome!”

            “Uh… she can see me?”

            “The cube has visual sensors that…” Allura gave up trying to explain it. “Yes, she can see you.”

            “She can hear you, too,” the cube reminded him.

            He cleared his throat. “My apologies. Allura, breakfast’ll be up in less than fifteen minutes.”

            “Are you going to make me stay in here again?”

            “Absolutely.” He walked over to the nightstand and retrieved his firearm. Allura thought the idea of shooting fire was both inventive and very old-fashioned, but that combination seemed to describe a lot of Earth’s technology. “Your protection is my priority.”

            “You had different priorities last night,” she reminded him with a smirk.

            “Temporary priorities. Your safety was still the most important.” He came over and kissed her cheek. “As always.”

            “I like him,” Mother’s voice declared. “You should keep him.”

            “I’m trying,” she replied.

            Takashi smiled. “You’re doing an excellent job of it, my princess. Now get dressed, will you? It’s almost ten.”

            She huffed as he walked out. “You’re worse than Coran!”

            “Good!” he called back. “Someone has to keep you on track!”

            The cube giggled. “He’s perfect for you, my flower. No wonder your quintessences synced.”

            “Good-bye, Mother. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

            “Remember: wear that pink dress when you propose!”

            She double-tapped the cube to silence it.

            She set about getting dressed. Takashi closed her door when the elevator dinged, and she rolled her eyes even as she was secretly pleased by his protectiveness of her. Once it was “safe” for her to come out, she joined him for a meal of “scrambled eggs, oatmeal, fresh fruit, bacon, and toast.” She liked the different toppings the oatmeal came with, and it reminded her of _nutrien,_ if a bit blander. Takashi said he’d gotten it specifically because he thought it would be similar. The fruit was crisp and sweet, and after sampling a little of everything, she stuck with the oatmeal, fruit, and some toast.

            “I have to check in with my team downstairs,” he said. “Stay up here; I’ll come get you when it’s time to…”

            “I’m ready,” she told him. “I might as well come with you, unless there’s something I’m not supposed to see or overhear?”

            He considered that and then shrugged. “I guess not. Let me finish getting ready then.”

            He got his full uniform on – she thought it a bit much, but there was no denying how attractive he looked in it – and they went down a floor.

            He went and knocked on a door. “Pidge, open up.”

            The small Garrison soldier from before opened the door. She was in an oversized shirt that went to her knees. “Oh.” She blinked and snapped to attention. “Good morning, Your Highness.”

            Allura smiled at her. “Good morning. That’s not necessary, really.”

            “What have you found out?” Takashi asked her.

            She eased down. “Uh, come in.” He followed her into her room.

            And then she heard a voice ask, “Princess?”

            _Oh no._ She turned and smiled at Coran. “Coran, good morning!”

            He paused and narrowed his eyes at her, then switched to Altean to ask, “What have you been up to?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And some of the Earthlings can speak Altean, you know.”

            It didn’t dissuade him. “Nevermind, I know what you’ve been up to. It’s obvious. You’re _glowing_.”

            “Am I?” she asked innocently.

            “You are.” He sidled up to her. “I knew there was something going on with you and that Earthling. Quite a bit, it seems!”

            She sighed. “If I tell you, will you keep this to yourself?”

            “Will I?! What a question! Why I’ve kept secrets older than you are! In fact, I remember…”

            “We bonded,” she said quickly, before Coran could get off on one of his tangents.

            He just blinked at her. “BONDED? With an Earthling?!”

            “It’s true and keep your voice down.”

            He began whispering. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Lots of young people these days think they’ve found their _arlnath_ when they haven’t.”

            “I could feel his emotions, I could sense his intentions. It was the most miraculous feeling I’ve ever had.”

            Before Coran could say anything else, Takashi showed up again. “Princess, I… oh, Coran! Good to see you again! Uh, I mean…” He repeated the greeting in Altean.

            Coran acted surprised. “Oh ho! You’ve been learning!” he replied in English before switching back to Altean. “I’m glad to see you showing such an interest in our language.”

            “It is difficult to learn for me. I am still trying. Thank you.”

            Allura giggled a little at his stilted phrasing and rescued him by pulling the conversation back to English. “You’re doing fine, but some conversational training would be helpful. Did you find out what you needed to?”

            He nodded and dropped Altean for the time being. “Pidge is sending the identity of each possible threat to have a security check run on them, so that’s slowing the process some. She’s going to help with the checks once she’s got the basic IDs for everyone who might be a problem, but she’s being careful. We don’t want to miss someone, so she’s casting a pretty wide net. It’ll take a bit.”

            She smiled. “I have every faith and confidence in your team.” She looked to Coran. “Are you coming with for the scientific discussions?”

            He nodded. “Aye, with Metiv and Goreina.”

            “Round them up then. We’ll need to leave soon. And remember what I told you.”

            “Aye, Princess.” And he went to get their two science officers.

            Takashi waited until Coran was out of earshot before he asked, “What did you tell him?”

            “Nothing for you to worry about, lo-…” she caught herself, “Captain.”

            She hated hiding it in public. She wanted the world to know. She wanted every world in every galaxy to know. But she understood that it wasn’t wise.

            Keith came over to them. “Shiro, everything okay?” He wasn’t fully in uniform yet, but he had shirt and pants on, at least.

            “Fine. Just checking in with Pidge. Anything to report?”

            He shook his head. “It’s been quiet, unless you count last night.”

            “What happened last night?”

            “Lance and Hunk taught the Alteans to play Texas Hold’em.”

            Takashi groaned, but Allura was intrigued. “A game? Oh, I want to play! Can you teach me?” she asked Takashi brightly.

            “Have him teach you the strip variant,” Keith suggested.

            “Keith!” She noticed her beloved blush and she grinned, making a mental note.

            “I just might,” she said, pretending to consider it.

            Takashi rolled his eyes. “Oh, now don’t _you_ start. I don’t know which of you is worse.”

            “I’m not the one makes you grin like an idiot,” Keith pointed out.

            “Ready to go!” Coran called from down the hallway, near the elevator, and Allura watched Takashi practically leap towards them.

            “Come on, long day ahead.”

            She couldn’t help snickering, and she deliberately walked at a stately pace just to frustrate his desire to leave quickly. “I’m looking forward to it,” she said as she drew near to him.

**~End of Chapter 3~**

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to [pixie_rings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) for her help and beta-ing!
> 
> It only comes up a little bit in this chapter, but we'll see it increasingly as the other chapters get posted, so I'm going to say this now: anyone who was on the mission to Altea isn't always as formal with Allura as they probably should be (by her invitation). Iverson maintains proper forms of address in public and slips into the slightly less formal "Princess" (as Pix informs me, it should be "Your Highness" at pretty much all times) when in private... or when he's stressed.  
> =========================

            And this was the rhythm of their lives for the next few days: breakfast and checking in with the 19th floor, before starting in on her schedule. During this time, he was Shiro to her, a friendly but still professional bodyguard. And then they’d get back to the suite, and he became Takashi once more, her friend and lover. He vastly preferred the latter, but he made sure that nothing impacted how he did his job.

            While Allura was busy meeting scientists and scholars, politicians and lobbyists, Shiro would occasionally field a call from Pidge or Keith about the threats. He had Pidge forward the information to Iverson, who was working on the security for the princess’s public address. That was what all the meetings and running around were building towards: Allura would address the EGC and, through broadcasts, the whole world, and announce Altea’s intentions, making the formal offer of help in whatever areas she deemed worthwhile. Shiro highly doubted Altea would help them develop weapons, but he was still praying for transportation (though he kept that to himself, to avoid influencing her decision).

            And in the evenings, Shiro took it upon himself to educate Allura on some of the delights of Earth even as she took the opportunity to help him with his Altean. One night he even arranged to order pizza (picked up and delivered to the suite by the chef, who’d already been security vetted) and put on _The Princess Bride_ for her. The next time she asked him to do something for her, he said, “As you wish,” in Altean and she nearly tackled him to the ground to kiss him for that, now that she knew the reference.

            It was all movies, video games (she was a quick study at Mario Kart), and food, but at least he was sharing something with her besides a bed (though he had no complaints about that). It was no “riding through the Blossom Canyon,” but it was better than nothing. And it made him feel…warm, in a way, to snuggle with her on the couch and watch a movie, to have dinner and talk together (in whatever language they chose).

            And, after constant badgering, he did, in fact, teach her how to play Texas Hold’em – including the strip variant. Once she understood the winning hand combos and which beat what, etc. she became a fierce and aggressive opponent. He _almost_ lost (not that he would have minded, in these circumstances). He knew, at the back of his mind, that their time together would run out again. He didn’t know what to do about that, but for now he focused on enjoying what they did have and on keeping her safe, of course.

            The day for her address came. Pidge had locked herself in her room three days earlier with a case of energy drinks and some cup ramen while she tried to get the last few IDs sorted. “These guys are _pros_ ,” Keith reported to Shiro. “They’re giving Pidge a hard time finding them.”

            “That’s what worries me,” he replied. “If they can hide their identities from one of the best hackers the Garrison has…”

            “ _The_ best,” Hunk corrected him.

            “We thinking another government or something?” Lance asked.

            “Possibly. Telling the EGC one thing and doing another isn’t unheard of,” Shiro mused.

            “We should call off the address,” Keith said.

            “I’d love to, but she trusts our security measures. And, honestly, with Mulcahy in charge? You won’t be able to sneak a toothpick past the guards.”

            “Can’t you convince her?” Hunk asked.

            Lance followed that up with, “You two are a thing now, right?”

            Shiro couldn’t get a word out before Keith put in, “And don’t deny it. We know you, Shiro. **_I_** know you.”

            He sighed and considered denying it anyway. But Keith was giving him that old “stop bullshitting” look, and so he caved. “Please tell me you haven’t told anyone.”

            “I think Iverson already knows, but we haven’t said a thing,” Hunk told him.

            “I think Coran suspects, too,” Lance added. “But again, we didn’t say a single word.”

            Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. “It… started back on Altea, really. I can’t…” He cleared his throat. “And anyway, just because we’re… well, it doesn’t mean that I can convince her of _anything_. She’s stubborn. This is what she came here to do, this is what all those boring meetings have been leading towards. She won’t cancel or postpone. But then that’s what body armor is for.”

            The three of them shared a look amongst themselves then looked back at him. “I’m guessing,” Keith said, “that you don’t mean _she’s_ wearing body armor.”

            Shiro didn’t answer that because he really didn’t have to.

            Hunk groaned. “This is a bad plan. I am going on the record saying this is not a good idea.”

            “MULCAHY,” he reminded them. “He’ll keep people out because they have an e-cig on them. And this is all on top of normal EGC security protocols! All the camera operators have been vetted, all the technicians, even the janitors. They’ve scanned every stick of furniture in that room and they’re doing it again right now!”

            “I mean… he is a major hardass,” Lance allowed.

            “That’s why Iverson put him in charge of this when I told him we should step up security. We’re doing everything we can,” Shiro told them.

            “You’re still worried,” Keith said.

            “Of course I am. But I have to trust in the Garrison.”

            “How bad is it?” Hunk asked. “I mean, you and the princess? How bad you got it?”

            Shiro rolled his eyes, but Keith answered for him. “He loves her.”

            “I didn’t say that!”

            “You don’t have to! It’s so obvious!”

            “It is not!”

            “If _Keith_ can see it, it’s obvious,” Lance told him.

            “Does she love you back or is this one of those unrequited things?” Hunk asked.

            “I’m not talking about my personal life _or_ the princess’s,” Shiro informed them.

            “She loves him back,” Keith and Lance said at the same time while Hunk snickered.

            “I have to go call Iverson again. You three suit up and shut up, because you’re going with the motorcade.”

            “Aye, sir,” they said in unison. He turned to head back to the penthouse, but he heard Lance behind him. “He’s gotta get in some quick nookie before the address, for the princess’s sake. I hear having sex before speaking in public really helps calm stage fright.”

            Shiro rolled his eyes. But talking with them had helped a little. Assuaging their fears had lessened some of his own. But it still bugged him that Pidge couldn’t pin down IDs for the last few threats. These would have been the ones that had shown sympathy to the conspiracy theorists but hadn’t made any threats themselves. These should have been the least troublesome of the bunch, and the fact that they were such a problem to hunt down didn’t make him happy.

            He was still thinking on it when he walked back into the suite. He heard Allura’s voice say his name; when she came within range of him, he murmured a greeting and kissed her forehead. She said something else, and he replied, “Whatever you want.”

            She grabbed hold of his arms. “TA-KA-SHI,” she said, loud and in his face. “You’re not paying attention.”

            That did it. He blinked out of his thoughts and forced a smile. “Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”

            “Clearly.” She let go of him. “And it’s worrying you.”

            There was definitely no point in trying to lie to her. “Pidge can’t trace these last few people. I don’t like it. We’ve upped all our security, but…”

            “It will be fine. _I_ will be fine,” she insisted.

            “Well, that last part is true because I’m going to be right next to you on that stage.”

            She rolled her eyes. “Oh, honestly.”

            “Maybe a step or two behind, and there’ll be one of your Altean guards on your other side, but you are absolutely _not_ going to be alone up there.”

            “I love it when you’re protective of me,” she teased, looping her arms around his neck and smiling up at him.

            “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised sincerely. He leaned in to kiss her, and, naturally, she met him halfway. He held her close to him as if this would be the last time he would ever get the chance, as if his embrace could enfold her and shield her long after she left his arms.

            When he had to pull away, he hugged her even tighter. Eventually, she whispered, “We have to leave.” He nodded, but it took him longer to finally let go of her.

            “I just… have to finish getting ready.” He didn’t want her to know he was armoring himself, and he still had to get his uniform jacket on. “Just a couple of minutes.”

            She nodded and smiled. “I’ll be waiting here for you.”

            “Thank you.”

            He shut the door to his “room” – that he had only slept in once, but where all his clothes continued to stay – and pulled out the body armor he’d brought. Thin, flexible, supposedly ten times the stopping power of Kevlar. But it only covered his chest and abdomen. Should be good enough; center mass was where civilians – and most military, for that matter – were trained to shoot. He didn’t think about it. He’d rather live but if the only way was an even trade – his life for hers – he’d make that deal in a heartbeat. _Iverson and Mulcahy are on this. Pidge is working overtime on almost no sleep. Allura will be fine. She has to be._

He pulled on his dress uniform jacket. Cinched his belt and clipped on his holster. Did a quick check: fully loaded, safety on. He put his comm earpiece in and double-checked it with a quiet, “Testing one, two.”

            “Yeah, yeah, I hear you, shut up,” Pidge groused over the link.

            “We copy,” Keith replied.

            He was as ready as he could be. He opened the door and walked out. “Let’s go.”

 

            Takashi’s worry was infectious, but Allura was convinced he was just being overprotective. She trusted the Garrison and her own soldiers to keep her safe. They hadn’t brought any weapons to the EGC – she hadn’t wanted them to look like an invading force – but they had shields they could activate if need be.

            And she wasn’t nervous about addressing the EGC either. Maybe a little, just because she hadn’t spoken to humans before, and because this was her first time presenting herself as a leader of Altea. She had given speeches and addresses back home, of course, but everyone there knew she wasn’t the current monarch. They expected less of her because there was still her father in charge. But to these people, she represented Altea itself.

            Okay, so she was a lot more than a little nervous. But she would never show it. She walked out onto the stage, with Takashi and Murien alongside her. Her ears could pick up some light chatter from Takashi’s comm link: acknowledgements that no audience members had weapons. She smiled and waved a little at the EGC members. She couldn’t see most of them through the bright lights on the stage, but what she could see was standing and applauding people, the occasional smiling face. She took a deep, steadying breath before she stepped up to the podium.

            “Thank you, people of Earth, for receiving us with such warm hospitality.” They settled down and took their seats. Allura squared her shoulders, raised her chin just a little, and started into her speech.

            “The ambassadors you sent into the stars were a pleasant surprise. They spoke of Earth as a resplendent and beautiful planet with great diversity of life in all its forms. On Altea, we strive for peace and harmony amongst all living things on all worlds, and so we have come to repay your visit and to become better acquainted with the people of Earth. Not just about your technology but also you yourselves: your history, your culture, your society. A planet’s people are the most interesting and rewarding to know, as well as the most important link in the bonds that can bring our planets together.

            “For though our worlds are far from each other, I believe we are very near in our hearts, in our desires. We all want the same things, no matter which star we orbit. We…”

            Her ears picked up Pidge’s voice from Takashi’s earpiece. “Shiro, it’s Mulcahy and his team! Get her out of there!”

            And time slowed to a crawl.

            Someone stepped towards the stage; she couldn’t see their face through the lights, but she _did_ see a Garrison uniform, and a weapon being raised towards her.

            And then she was being pushed to the ground. There was a loud uproar but what she paid most attention to was Takashi crying out. Murien crouched down near her, but Takashi had fallen to the other side. She was mostly shielded by the podium, but she noticed he was holding his right arm.

            “Takashi!”

            “STAY DOWN,” he growled, pushing himself back up, awkwardly drawing his firearm with his left hand. “Murien…”

            “I will not let her endanger herself,” she said, and Allura felt her take hold of her. Murien’s shield went up to block fire from one side.

            “Takashi, don’t…” But he was already standing up again, bracing his arm against the podium to help steady his shot. She heard loud retorts and covered her ears against the volume. Another cry from her beloved and he stumbled backwards. He had an angry red scar across the bridge of his nose, but he turned and fired in a different direction.

            People were screaming, yelling. She heard shouts of “Get down!” and “We will not be taken alive!” She heard, “Drop your weapons!” and “Councilman, please, we have to get you out of here!” But they were distant, they were the background to watching her brave, handsome captain take a hit in his side. He moved closer to her, re-targeted. A pulse of bright red light hit his chest and he winced but kept firing.

            “I have to…” She tried to get up.

            Murien pulled her down. “Listen to the captain, Princess. He knows their weaponry better than we do.”

            Takashi moved away from the podium, and another member of her personal guard – Kenser – swooped in to shield her on that side. She wanted to tell them no, wanted to push away and try to protect Takashi, but the din quieted soon after. She watched her guards look around, then heard shouts of “Clear!” repeated.

            Time began moving at its normal pace again. And then someone yelled, “Man down!”

            _No._

            She pushed the guards away, though they had already started to stand again. She scrambled to her feet and cast her eyes about.

            The EGC auditorium was chaos, with dead and injured scattered about and those who had been hiding peering out from behind seats. Most of those on the ground had Garrison uniforms on. She approached the edge of the stage, afraid of what she’d see.

            He was there, collapsed against the stage, teeth gritted in pain.

            “Takashi!” She jumped down next to him. “How badly are you…?”

            “I can’t move my right arm,” he said. “My chest got a bad burn. Damn lasers.” His eyes focused on hers. “Are you okay?”

            “I’m fine, I’m not hit. We need to…”

            “I’m sorry. We should have found them sooner.”

            “No, I should have listened to you.”

            “Allura…” His eyes closed. “I…” His mouth kept moving, but no sound came out.

            “Takashi? Takashi!”

            And then she was being pulled away by strong Altean hands and humans were rushing in towards him. “Help him,” she begged, tears welling up. “Please! Please help him!”

            Major Iverson appeared next to her. “We’ll do everything we can, Princess. I’m sorry about all of this.”

            “Major, what happened?” she asked stiffly, still watching Takashi. They were bringing in a small bed or table of some sort.

            “Mulcahy and his team were the shooters. He was the extra detail we summoned up for this event because we were worried about an attempted assassination in the first place.”

            They were loading Takashi up onto the bed.

            Iverson was still explaining. “They armed themselves with our best weapons, for your safety.”

            They were taking Takashi away.

            “We don’t have much in the way of small laser guns, but they got hold of ‘em. No one would have even questioned them on it, given that we were trying to protect a visiting alien princess.”

            Allura watched them rush him out.

            “Dunno when they planned to attack, but we all heard Pidge revealing them. That forced their hand. Most of ‘em were killed. Mulcahy took his own life rather than be captured. We did manage to get one of his team arrested, and we’ll be interrogating him to learn more. I’ll keep you informed.”

            She finally turned to look at the major. “When will Takashi be healed?”

            “Healed? Uh. That’s for the doctors to say. I know the first shot he took, that was a high-powered blast. Mulcahy had that charging up to get it as powerful as the gun could manage without melting.”

            “That was meant for me.” It wasn’t a question.

            Iverson nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

            “Please let me know how he is, when I can expect to see him again. And I want to know everything about what these conspirators were up to.”

            “Of course, Princess.”

            Coran interrupted. “Princess, let’s get you back to your suite.”

            “I have something I need to do first.” She straightened herself and her clothes out and marched up to the nearest camera.

**~End of Chapter 4~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's all thank [Pix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) for her help, as usual!   
> =======================

            She paced in her suite with the television on. Her face and voice were still on loop on almost every channel, replaying her moment of quiet determination not to blame all the people of Earth for the actions of a few, while acknowledging that she would have to rethink things.

            But she wasn’t rethinking anything except those long moments of Takashi protecting her. She could see each hit in her mind except the first, and she could only imagine the pain.

            _How long can it possibly take to heal him?_

She couldn’t bear to look at the rest of her suite, because it was nothing but reminders of him now. She’d turned the television on to try to distract herself, but it had failed. Still, some noise was better than the unsettling quiet.

            They were already hailing Captain Shirogane as a hero, as they should. They were speaking well of the Alteans defending themselves and their princess but not firing back. _I should have allowed them some weapons._ If she’d had a weapon or even if she hadn’t been pushed to the ground and held down…

            Lasers, projectile weapons, these were all simple things to her. She could have done so much, she could have protected her beloved the way he had protected her. She knew that Murien was acting out of an abundance of caution, and she didn’t blame her or Kenser for their actions. They were here to protect _her_ , not some random human.

            But he was more than just “some human” to her, and every dobosh she didn’t hear from the major or one of Takashi’s team worried her more and more. It’d been vargas since the incident; it was fully night outside. _I should be in your arms by now, my love, in our bed._

            She couldn’t help turning her head to the empty bedroom. Housekeeping had come and changed the sheets, made the bed. It looked now like no one had ever slept in it, like it had never been a constant setting for sharing her love with Takashi, like they hadn’t had pillow fights and tickle fights all over it. But, more than that, she had to remind herself that she did not own this bed.

            _It’s only our bed temporarily. Only for as long as I’m here. It can’t be ours forever. Does that say something? Does that mean our love is destined to be as temporary as our claim to this place?_ Even if he hadn’t been injured, she had to leave at some point. She had to return to Altea. She’d known that all along, but it had been easier not to dwell on it, to push it aside and concentrate on the time she did have.

            _Time is never on our side._

            She sighed and walked into the bedroom to activate her mother’s cube.

            “Yes, my flower?”

            It all came out. She was crying instantly as she talked to her mother’s voice, as she told her about what had happened, what had become of her beloved captain, and how she had nothing and didn’t know what to do. She fell into her concerns about being separated from him again. “What good is having an _arlnath_ if we cannot be with each other?” she finished.

            “Oh, Allura, my sweet child. I would do anything to take this pain from you. I am so sorry this has happened. I am so, so sorry that some people’s hate and fear have inflicted this upon you.”

            “How do you know that’s why they did it?”

            “Because that is a natural response to the unknown. You are unknown to most of this planet. But just because I can understand why they’d react that way does not mean I condone it. Violence should never be the first resort.”

            “I want to be home. I want…”

            “And where is home?” her mother asked.

            She blinked. “Altea, of course.”

            “You’re just saying that.”

            “What? No. Altea is…”

            “The planet you are from. But where is _home_? Where are you comfortable, warm, and safe? Where do you feel you belong? Where do you long to be the most right now?”

            She sighed and closed her eyes, seeking the answers to her mother’s questions. “Altea is still part of it. I want to be where people will not seek to harm me just because I am different. But,” she opened her eyes, “I don’t want to be there without Takashi. I want to be with him.”

            “More than you want to be on Altea?”

            “I… I don’t know. I just want things to be the way they were before all of this happened.”

            “You were always going to have to face this choice.”

            “I know.”

            “For now, is there someone you can safely contact? Someone you trust who can take you to him? You should be by his side.”

            “I don’t know that they will let me. Certainly I could visit once, as a formal recognition of the man who saved my life, but…”

            “Then tell them the truth.”

            “I can’t do that, Mother!”

            “Tell them he is your _arlnath_ and you refuse to be separated from him.”

            “They don’t seem to know what that is.”

            Her mother was quiet for a long moment. “Have you not explained to your captain, even?”

            “I… brought it up when we were watching a ‘movie’ together. It’s like a holoplay,” she added, before her mother could ask. “This one was about two people who were in love – true love, the movie said – and how nothing could keep them apart even when it seemed he had died and she was kidnapped. I said they were meant to be together and he said that was what ‘true love’ was.”

            That didn’t dissuade her mother. “So they know the concept, they just use a different term. You march straight to his side and don’t let anyone deny you access. He is your true love.”

            “I can’t tell them that, Mother. He has rules against ‘fraternizing’ with me. He is not supposed to love me.”

            “But he does.”

            “Yes.”

            “And you love him. These things happen. You should be with him. If you must, use your excuse of formal recognition of his heroism for now. And then refuse to leave. You are the Princess of Altea. You are _my daughter_. No one can sway you from doing what you know to be right. Do not let them just because you are upset. Your father and I taught you to stand your ground. Do it.”

            She sniffled. “You’re right, Mother. I’ll call Major Iverson. He is good at making things happen.”

            “And wash your face before he arrives. You’re a mess, dear.”

            She laughed a little. “Thank you, Mother. I miss you.”

            “As I miss you, my flower. Have your _arlnath_ hug you for me.”

            “I will, as soon as I can.” She double-tapped the cube, took a few moments to think and breathe, then stood to call Major Iverson. It might take him a bit to get over here, and she could use that time to freshen up. _Maybe Takashi will just be coming out of healing when I get there, and I can be the first one to hug him._

She turned off the TV, then took the necessary steps to speak to the major privately, even if it was only voice communication. When he got on the phone, he sounded distracted. “Yes, Your Highness, what can I do for you?”

            “I need to see Captain Shirogane.”

            “He’s still at the hospital.”

            She assumed that was their term for medbay. “I understand that. I wish to be taken to him immediately.”

            “I’m not sure the doctors will allow that.”

            “Then get them to allow it.”

            He sighed harshly. “Princess, that’s not how it works here. Look, I know you and the captain are …close, but…”

            “I am going to find out where he is and show up there anyway, Major. If you know we’re close, then you should understand why I would need to be with him.”

            The line was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll send a car for you.”

            “I don’t mean to offend you, Major, but it was some of your own men who wanted me dead.”

            “It’ll be people you know personally. They’ll take you to the hospital. They’ll do what they can so you can see him.”

            “Thank you. I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

            “I don’t know that that’s the best idea, Your Highness.”

            “With all due respect, I will do what I wish, Major.”

            “Somehow I knew you were going to say that, Princess.” His end of the line went dead.

            She closed her end and went down to explain things to her fellow Alteans. Floor 19 first – Coran would, undoubtedly, need to be dissuaded from accompanying her to this ‘hospital’ – and then the guards on 18. She was done with hiding things. Perhaps Takashi was not allowed to love her, but she had no restrictions on her own feelings.

 

            Keith was driving the car that came to pick to her up, and the rest of Takashi’s personal team were in the back with her.

            “How is he?” she asked as soon as she was done greeting them.

            “Not good,” Lance said gently.

            Allura was confused. “But they’re healing him, yes?”

            “Well, they’re doing their best,” Hunk told her. “He was wearing body armor, but it’s ineffective against lasers. They just melt right through it. He got hit in the chest and side, as well as the arm. And there’s the graze on his face; it didn’t do much damage but it’s impacting his nasal passages, which affects his breathing.”

            “But… he’ll be okay?” she insisted.

            “Look, uh, Your Highness,” Lance said, “I don’t know what you’re expecting of our hospitals. We’re doing everything we can for him. He’s sedated, so he’s not feeling any pain, at least?”

            “Is that,” she looked around the car at the three of them, “is that really the best you can do?”

            “I’m sorry,” Pidge practically whispered.

            “Oh no, Pidge,” Hunk said.

            She was looking at her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry,” she repeated a little louder. “I should have found them sooner. I could have sent the warning encoded to Shiro somehow, or…”

            Allura shifted over to sit next to Pidge. “You did everything you could, Pidge. And if you hadn’t, I might have been hurt. You were working hard to help keep me safe. I appreciate it so much.”

            “But now Shiro’s hurt,” she said. “He’s definitely going to lose that arm, at a minimum, and that’s if he even survives.”

            Lance’s voice was a gentle reprimand. “Pidge.”

            Allura swallowed hard. “He’ll survive. I’ll make sure of it.” She looked around the car. “He means a lot to all of you, I can tell.”

            “He was the best instructor we had at the Garrison,” Hunk explained. “He treated me with respect, even when I kept throwing up in the simulator runs.”

            “He’s been a friend of my family for years now,” Pidge said quietly.

            “He encouraged me even when I thought I’d never make it. I got into fighter class training because of him,” Lance said.

            “He and Keith are practically brothers,” Hunk put in. “Keith can be a bit of a hothead sometimes…”

            “‘Sometimes’,” Lance commented without much heat in it.

            “…and Shiro kept him on track and out of too much trouble.”

            “We wouldn’t be where we are today without him,” Pidge summed up.

            “And he means a lot to you, too, I think,” Lance said.

            Allura nodded. “I love him.”

            They all stared at her.

            “I have since his visit to Altea, though I didn’t quite realize the extent of it then. Or I didn’t want to realize it, I suppose, because I knew he’d leave.” She exhaled shakily. “Which is why I won’t let him die. I don’t know what’s going to happen with us, but it needs to be _our_ choice to make – his and mine. So he’s going to live.”

            “You have a way to help him?” Pidge asked.

            “I do, if they’ll let me do it.”

            “We’ll help however we can,” Lance said immediately.

            “Thank you, everyone.”

            The car slowed to a stop. Hunk held out a hand. “Please, let us check to make sure it’s safe?”

            “Very well, but only because you said ‘please.’ Takashi didn’t even ask, just hopped out and expected me to stay here.”

            Lance grinned. “Ooooh, it’s ‘Takashi’ is it?”

            Allura blushed. “Sorry, I suppose I should call him ‘Shiro’ in public. Don’t let him know I slipped, will you?”

            “Our secret,” Lance promised. Then he and Hunk got out.

            “And, Pidge? You did everything you could. You have no reason to be upset with yourself.”

            Pidge smiled wanly. “Thanks, Your Highness.” She got out the other side.

            After a couple of minutes, the door opened for her. Keith was standing there. “Coast is clear. I brought you around back to avoid the press.”

            “Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Keith,” she said as she stepped out.

            He shut the door behind her. “The guys said you’re gonna save Shiro?”

            “Yup,” Lance declared. “They’re in love.”

            “ _True_ love,” she clarified.

            “Wow, that _is_ serious!” Hunk said.

            “Later,” Keith barked. “We gotta get her inside. Pidge?”

            “I got it done before we came over,” she said. “Princess Allura and her ‘entourage’ are on the visitors’ list.”

            “Good. And you know which room he’s in?”

            “1305.”

            “Let’s go.”

            Allura let the four of them surround her and escort her into the building. She was curious as to what their cryo-replenishers would look like, thinking back to pictures she’d seen of the first ones to be made. But this ‘hospital’ was nothing like she imagined.

            She could see people laying in hoverbeds, monitors on the walls above their heads showing numbers and charts. People in wheeled chairs and walking with the aid of sticks – either in their hands or under their arms – and people with tubes going in and out of them.

            “Oh no,” she breathed. _This is so much worse than I thought._ She was afraid of what she’d find when she got to Takashi’s room.

            They took her to another elevator, and Keith hit the button for 13. Once the doors opened on the 13th floor, they went straight to a desk. “Her Royal Highness Princess Allura is here to see Captain Shirogane,” Keith told the woman at the desk.

            “He’s still unconscious,” the woman said apologetically.

            “She understands that,” Keith said before Allura could speak for herself. “He is the man who saved her life, and she wishes to see him.”

            “I’m sorry, but not right now. The doctor’s in there, so if you’ll just wait a few…”

            Allura pushed past her ‘entourage’. She ignored the woman’s exclamations. All the doors were labeled, so it wasn’t hard to find 1305. She opened it and walked right in.

            Two women were inside, standing together and talking. “Excuse me,” the one in the white coat said, “you’re not allowed in…”

            Allura ignored her and walked straight up to the foot of the bed. “Oh, Takashi…” she breathed.

            He looked like he was asleep. The scar on his face was still an angry red, and there were some clear tubes going into his nostrils. Some of his hair had gone white, prematurely aging him, but he was still her handsome captain. His right arm was bandaged up, as was what she could see of his chest. She looked at the monitors above him, but none of what they said made any sense to her.

            “I’m sorry, but you will have to leave,” the white-coated woman was saying.

            “How bad is he?” she asked.

            “I’m not at liberty to…”

            “This man saved my life,” Allura told her. “I will not let him continue on in pain when I can have him healed.”

            “Oh, man, that is bad,” she heard Hunk say behind her.

            She turned to him. The others were all in the room, along with the woman from the desk still trying to throw them out. “You know what those monitors mean?”

            “Some of them,” he admitted. “My grandma was hospitalized for a long time. His blood pressure’s low.”

            “Lasers,” Pidge said. “Probably boiled some of his blood away when they hit.”

            “Pulse is down, O2’s low and that’s _while_ he’s on oxygen.”

            “This man needs rest and treatment, and that’s what we’re giving him,” the woman in the white coat told them. “Waneta, call security.”

            “I already did, doctor,” the woman from the desk said. “They’re on their way up.”

            “Good.”

            “Yes, very good,” Allura said. “I need to speak to them about getting Takashi the help he needs.”

            “We are doing the best we can for him,” the ‘doctor’ told her.

            “Your best is not good enough!”

            “Your Highness.” She turned back to see a Garrison soldier in the doorway. “Major Iverson let us know you wanted to visit the captain. We, uh, expected you to come in the front.” He cleared his throat uneasily. “But all you can do is see him, not interfere with his treatment.”

            “Someone was going to tell me this… when, exactly?” the doctor demanded.

            Allura didn’t care about their protocols. “His treatment is not enough!” she insisted. “If I could take him with me to my ship, he could be healed in no time!”

            “I’m sorry, but we cannot allow you to take a Garrison officer into an alien spaceship,” he said evenly.

            She narrowed her eyes at the soldier. “I’d very much like to know how you’re going to stop me.”

            “Whoa, whoa,” Lance said, trying to play peacemaker. “Look, we all want what’s best for Shiro here, so let’s see if we can’t talk this out…”

            “I have my orders,” the Garrison soldier said.

            “I have a duty and a debt to this man,” Allura told him, matching him glare for glare.

            The soldier pressed a finger to his earpiece. “Get the commander up to thirteen, please. This is above my pay grade.”

            “I will speak to whomever I have to in order to get Takashi out of here.”

            Hunk was talking with the doctor. “What about his arm?”

            “I’m not allowed to share that information with you,” was all she said.

            “He doesn’t have any family left!” Hunk protested.

            Keith stepped forward. “Hold on.” He pulled out his identification and held it out to the doctor.

            She swiped through some things on her tablet, then looked at his ID, then back to him, and sighed in annoyance. “Emergency contact, listed as next of kin. Very well. Do you consent to having these people…?”

            “Just tell us how he’s doing,” Keith said, putting his ID away.

            “Not well, as your friend here surmised.” She seemed put out by that. “Heart and lungs are not functioning at full capacity, the right arm is going to have to be amputated, and his body is under significant stress despite the sedatives. We can’t figure that part out.”

            Allura’s eyes widened. “Let me…”

            “Ma’am…” the doctor started to protest.

            “Let her do what she wants,” Keith said.

            The doctor huffed. “She can touch him – carefully – if she wishes, but I’m not okaying his release from this hospital.”

            Everyone cleared out of her way, and she ran around to the bedside. “Takashi.” She laid her hand on his brow, smoothing the now-white hair back so nothing would be between her palm and his forehead. She spoke in Altean. “I’m right here, _arlnath_. I am right here with you.” She closed her eyes and focused her energy.

            She found his quintessence almost instantly. It was panicked, it was afraid, but then it synced with hers and the frenetic pace began to ease. “I am uninjured,” she whispered in Altean. “Because of you, my love. You saved me. Let me save you.”

            “Amazing,” she heard someone – perhaps the other woman in the room? – breathe. “His brainwaves are dropping into sleep.”

            “What is she doing?” the doctor asked.

            “Helping him,” came Keith’s clipped reply.

            Allura opened her eyes in time to see the faint glow of her hand recede. She pulled it away and bent to kiss his forehead there instead. “Sleep well. I’ll get you out of here and healed soon,” she whispered, before straightening up and returning to English to address the others in the room.

            “How long until the commander arrives?” she asked.

            “I’m here!” a voice said from the doorway. “I’m here.”

            Pidge brightened and darted out of Allura’s eyeshot with a cry of “Dad!”

            “Hey, Katie. What are you doing here?”

            “Helping the princess. She says she can heal Shiro!”

            “That so?” A man in a Garrison commander’s uniform stepped into view. He had a full head of gray hair and spectacles which he adjusted a little. “I’m Commander Holt. How can I help you, Your Highness?”

            “I can heal Ta- …Captain Shirogane, if I can just get him to my ship.”

            “How’s that?” he asked pleasantly, as if they were just having a light conversation.

            “We have a body scan of his from when he was on Altea. Our cryo-replenishers can draw on that information to restore him.”

            “You can fix all of this with one of these ‘replenishers’ of yours?”

            She cast a glance over at Takashi. “We can keep him alive, at any rate. So many vargas gone by without proper healing…” She looked back to Commander Holt. “I do guarantee he won’t die.”

            The commander considered this, then looked at the doctor. “What do you say about what we can do for him here?”

            “I can’t guarantee that he’ll live, if that’s what you’re asking.”

            “Well then, that settles it.” He looked back to her. “We’ll help you get him to your ship.”

            “Sir!” That was the voice of the soldier from the doorway. “Are you sure that…?”

            “I’m sure that Shiro deserves to live. This is an excellent opportunity to gauge the Alteans’ medical technology as well.” He smiled at Allura. “Besides, my wife’s planning to bake his favorite pie for when he comes to. She already bought all the ingredients. I’d hate to tell her it was all for naught.”

            She smiled back and Pidge hugged him. Commander Holt looked back towards the doorway. “You heard me, Ball. Get an ambulance. We’re going to escort the princess and the captain to her ship. Lights and sirens the whole way; screw the traffic lights.”

            “Aye, sir.”

            “Ohhhh, Dad, if Mom heard you talk like that…” Pidge warned.

            “Our secret.” He kissed the top of her head.

            Allura’s smile widened. “Thank you very much, Commander Holt.”

            “If you can save him, then you have _my_ thanks, Your Highness. He’s a good man, a good soldier, and a good friend. He deserves a medal, not a hero’s funeral.”

            “I will not let him die,” she promised.

            The doctor sighed. “Commander, Corporal,” that last was addressed to Keith, “I need transfer paperwork signed, if you’ll both come with me.”

            “Of course.”

            Allura turned to smile at her unconscious _arlnath_ and combed her fingers through his hair. “You’re going to be alright. I promise.”

**~End of Chapter 5~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bless [pixie_rings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) for her beta skills, as usual.
> 
> Being "Section 8-ed out" (more properly, "discharged under Section 8") basically means you're mentally unfit for military service. So I've heard some of my army friends joke about it; saying someone is "a Section 8" is their version of "they're nuts," basically. 
> 
> Only one more chapter to go after this. I'm sure everything will be fine.  
> ==========================

            He didn’t recognize where he was when he awoke. Everything was blue, for one thing. He felt enclosed, but otherwise better. His memories since the EGC address were hazy, mostly pain and fear. And then, something had soothed him. And after that, it was just …sleep. He felt refreshed. None of this meant he knew where he was.

            “Takashi!” The blue tinge he’d been seeing everything through dissolved as Allura ran up to him. He almost toppled forward, but she caught and steadied him. “Careful!”

            But once he had his feet under him, he hugged her tightly. He never wanted to let go, especially when she returned his embrace. He whispered her name into her hair and focused on how warm she was.

            “I’m so glad you’re awake,” she said quietly. “You scared us.”

            “Us?”

            “Your friends and me. Everyone, really. We should get you back as soon as I explain a few things.”

            “Back?” He, reluctantly, pulled away enough to look at her and then around at his surroundings. “Where am I?”

            “Aboard my ship. Don’t worry, we’re still on Earth,” she teased lightly.

            “Aboard…?” He turned to look behind him, just in time to see a tube descend into the floor.

            “You were hurt badly, Takashi. The Earth hospital was running out of options for what they could do for you. I insisted on bringing you here.”

            He whipped back around to her. “They let you bring an active service member aboard an alien ship?” He could think of at least a dozen reasons why that would be bad. **_I_** _know that Allura would never hurt me or try to force me to give up military secrets, but **they** don’t know that._

            “Well, after Commander Holt allowed it, yes.”

            He broke out into a grin. “Figures Sam would throw his weight around.”

            “He seemed rather scrawny to me?” Allura asked.

            He chuckled. “Idiom. I…” That was when it hit him. His right arm felt…different. He looked down at it and gasped in shock.

            Where there had once been flesh and blood was now gleaming silvery metal. The joints – like his elbow – and a good deal of his hand and fingers were black, flexible …fabric? rubber? He wasn’t sure. But when he thought about wiggling his fingers, his new hand responded.

            “Yes, that’s one of the things we need to talk about. Come with me, so we can sit down?”

            He looked to her and shook his head. “N-no. Just tell me here.”

            She sighed and said, in Altean, “As you wish.”

            He couldn’t help smiling a little. That smile faded as she explained.

            “If we had brought you back as soon as you were injured, you might very well still have your arm. You probably wouldn’t have the scars you have now, either. But by the time I got you here, too much damage had been done. Your body had accepted its new fate and was resistant to the replenisher’s changes. We had to remove the arm, but I directed this one be made for you.” She took his new right hand in one of hers and gave it a squeeze. “How does that feel?”

            “Good, I guess?”

            “Does it feel like you expect it to feel when I do this?”

            “Mostly? It’s a little… distant, I suppose.”

            “Hm. We’ll have to make some tweaks. I’m afraid it won’t ever really feel the same as it did, but you should have full range of sensitivity.”

            “This… honestly, it’s all incredible.”

            “There’s more. Um… here.” She waved over a floating mirror, about half-length, and positioned it in front of him.

            He almost didn’t recognize himself, even aside from the fact that he had a white full-body suit practically vacuum-sealed to him. There was a scar across the bridge of his nose and some of his hair had gone white. But when he moved, the reflection moved as he expected. He touched the scar with his right hand and then his left, to feel it with his own fingers. _Though I guess these metal ones are my fingers now, too._

            Allura explained the extent of his injuries. “You likely have some scarring on your chest and side as well. I do so wish I’d insisted on bringing you straight here. I had no idea your medical technology was so far behind ours.”

            He smiled at her. “You saved me though.”

            She smiled back. “You saved me first.”

            “So I guess we’re even?”

            “For now,” she replied.

            He chuckled. “What day is it? What time? I need to report in.”

            She sent the mirror away. “It is Saturday, about three hours post-meridian local time. The Garrison has set up a ‘mobile command center’ outside the ship.”

            “Good. I need to get back into uniform and get out there.”

            “Um.”

            He turned to look at her. “What?”

            “You, uh, were brought here from the hospital. You had only a loose smock of some sort on. I honestly don’t know where your uniform is.”

            He groaned. “I need to talk to Keith or Pidge or- or Commander Holt.”

            “The command center has an Altean communicator. You can talk to them from here if you are uncomfortable being seen in the healing suit.”

            “That would be…” He looked down at himself and then back to her. “Yeah, I think that’s a better idea.”

            “But I have a price for allowing you to use our communications technology to avoid embarrassment.”

            He arched an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

            She wrapped her arms around him. “I need a ki-”

            He didn’t let her finish. His life was suddenly a lot stranger. There were a lot of questions, and he didn’t know how things were going to go now. But his love for her was an anchor in this wilderness of what ifs and wonderings. Kissing her and holding her steadied him, even if it didn’t supply him answers.

            And when he was done, he looked into her eyes and brushed some hair back behind her ear with his new hand. It handled such a delicate motion as naturally as if it were his own, and she blushed faintly. She smiled and murmured, in Altean, “I love you, my _arlnath_.”

            He blinked. “ _Arlnath_?” he repeated. “That one wasn’t on our vocab lists.”

            “I’ll explain it later. For now, let me get a screen up and a link open for you.”

            He cleared his throat and tried to pull his military bearing on, even if he didn’t have the uniform to go with it at the moment.

            A blue framed screen appeared in the air in front of Allura. “Major Iverson!” she said brightly. “I have an update.”

            “Oh? What’s the news, Your Highness?”

            She pushed the side of the screen and it slid over to him. He saluted. “Reporting for duty, sir.”

            Iverson cracked a grin. “How are you doing, Shiro?”

            “Never better. Though, uh…” He dropped out of the salute and waved his hand. “I guess it couldn’t be saved.”

            “Hm. That’s going to make things interesting.”

            “I agree, sir.” He could already hear the arguments about him walking around with a piece of alien technology strapped to him.

            “Well, we’re stationed just outside, so…”

            “Uh, excuse me, sir, but the princess brought it to my attention that my uniform didn’t come over with me from the hospital.”

            Iverson blinked and then snorted. “I’ll have it delivered. And, Shirogane?”

            “Sir?”

            “You listed that hotheaded brat as your next of kin?”

            That took Shiro a second but then he nodded. “Closest to it I have left, sir.”

            Iverson shook his head. “If I’d known that, I’d’ve Section 8-ed you out ages ago.”

            Shiro laughed. “Understood, sir. Am I to be Section 8-ed out now?”

            “No. Well, not right now, anyway. I’ll have your ‘next of kin’ bring your things in, assuming the princess has no problem with him coming onto the ship?”

            “Does he mean Keith?” Allura asked him.

            “Yes.”

            “Oh, then that’s fine.”

            “She…”

            “Yeah, yeah, I heard. And the second you’re back in uniform, I want you out here in person, understood?”

            “Aye, sir.”

            “Okay. Over and out.” The screen disappeared.

            “How long do you think it’ll take Keith to deliver your uniform?” Allura asked immediately.

            “Not sure. Why?”

            “I thought I might give you a tour,” she said, taking his (right) hand again and smiling slyly. “Starting with my bedchamber.”

            He rolled his eyes a little and raised her hand to his lips. “Another time.” He kissed her hand reverently, and she laughed at the old greeting they’d had between them back on Altea.

            “I didn’t actually expect you’d take me up on it. Not now, anyway.”

            “If I had?”

            “Well, I wouldn’t have turned you down,” she admitted, “but I would have been surprised.” She stepped in to hug him again. “I almost lost you, Takashi. Very few people ever _have_ an _arlnath_ and I almost lost mine as soon as I found him.”

            He was happy to hold her while they talked. Happier still not to think about how close he’d come to death. Fortunately, she’d provided a convenient change of subject. “Speaking of, could you translate _arlnath_ for me? I’d like to be sure it’s not some sort of insult.”

            “The very opposite,” she assured him. “It means… well, it means we’re like Buttercup and Westley. True love.”

            He blinked and pulled away enough to look at her. “It means ‘true love’?”

            “Well… it’s not a good translation for it, but…” She chewed her lower lip in thought, then said, “It means that our quintessences – our life forces – have synced with one another. We are bound to each other.”

            He was about to ask why she thought they were synced, but then he remembered. “Is that…? Is that why I feel like I can’t tell where you begin and I end? Is that how I know what you’ll do when we’re together, how I can…”

            “…know exactly how to please me in that moment?” she finished for him before nodding. “The longer we are bound, the deeper the connection grows, but for your quintessence to sync with mine is a rare and beautiful thing. Even my own parents were not bonded in this way. We are meant to be together.”

            He couldn’t even question it. Everything about being with her felt like destiny. “ _Arlnath_ ,” he repeated. He smiled. Even without a direct translation, it made him feel warm.

            She smiled and shifted her height a little so they could touch foreheads easily as they held one another. He closed his eyes and could almost feel the energy of her at that single point of contact. It was calm and excited all at once, but it felt… like himself but not. It was her and it was him and it was the two of them together and it was like their souls were dancing with each other.

            Ever since he’d met her, he’d felt like there would never be time enough to spend with her, like some part of him was trying desperately to hold onto every moment with her because there might never be another like it. It always seemed like time was against them.

            But here, now, it felt like he had eternity to hold her like this; he’d be the happiest person in all the universe if he could. Real life threatened. He had so much he had to get used to now – the hand, his hair, the scar, the aftermath of the shooting, what command was going to say about all this – and that was just what was going on in the world, let alone his own mind. Sometimes, he could still see Mulcahy aiming at him…

            But the memory was pushed away. By Allura. Almost literally; it was like her… quintessence, he guessed, was pushing the fear and adrenaline away. She couldn’t cure it, couldn’t make it all better. But she could soothe him in the moment, and for now, that was enough. It was just enough to hold her and know that they were both alive. Whatever else happened from now on, they’d face it together.

 

 

            “Do you know why you’re here?”

            “Of course I do. Can we skip the bullshit and cut to the chase?”

            “Fair enough. After you.”

            “They’re going to destroy us.”

            “And how do you know that, Lieutenant Duffy?”

            “The major told us.”

            “Major Mulcahy?”

            “Yeah. I mean, why else would they come here unless they saw us as an easy target?”

            “Peaceful trade?”

            “Please. This is a recon mission. Scouting out our weaknesses, figuring out where best to strike. They’ll leave and then the real invasion will come. They’ll destroy or enslave us.”

            “You sound very sure of that.”

            “Isn’t it obvious?”

            “Let’s pretend they wanted peace before. How do you think they’re going to look at things now that you’ve tried to kill their princess? Or say this little action had succeeded. You didn’t think that you might be making things worse?”

            “THEY. ARE. COMING. It’s inevitable. At least this way we might have had a chance. Steal their tech, their weapons. Reverse engineer all that shit. Maybe even take the princess hostage if we were real lucky, but we weren’t counting on that. Safer to just kill them all.”

            Pidge stopped the playback. “I’m still getting the rest of it. EGC SecDiv protocols are even tougher than the Garrison’s.”

            “Why couldn’t you get the whole thing at once?” Hunk asked, confused.

            “It’s a stream. I got the beginning of the stream, and my systems have to catch up with where they are now.”

            Shiro mused over what they’d seen while the others talked.

            “Why do we even have SecDiv handling this in the first place?” Keith muttered. “He’s GG.”

            “That’s _why_ ,” Lance explained. “Who knows if he has more sympathizers in the ranks? Better to let someone else handle it.”

            “And so the EGC can show they’re doing something about this,” Pidge put in. “It’s at least partially a show for the public and for the Alteans.”

            “At least he’s not hiding anything,” Hunk said. “He’s the only surviving member of Mulcahy’s team; there’s no one else to interrogate. Lucky for us, he’s so afraid of Alien Invasion, he’s willing to talk to anyone with a security clearance.”

            “Pidge,” Shiro said, “let me know when you’ve got the rest of this. I don’t like being covert like this, but I also don’t like the idea of letting the chain of command decide whether or not we get to know about it.”

            “Aye.”

            “Also, thank your mom for the pie. It’s delicious.”

            Pidge chuckled. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

            “How’s the, uh…?” Keith nodded at the prosthetic.

            “It’s surprisingly good. I forget that it’s not my real arm sometimes, though that might be phantom limb messing with me.” He curled his hand up into a fist, then loosened it and wiggled his fingers again. “It’s clearly _not_ my arm or my hand, and sometimes I can feel the difference, but it’s very slight.”

            “Their tech is amazing,” Hunk breathed in appreciation. “I’d love a chance to study it up close.”

            “Same!” Pidge agreed. “If I could just get my hands on even a little bit of it…”

            “Nerds,” Lance declared. “I’m more interested in finding out if the princess has a cousin somewhere.”

            Keith rolled his eyes. “Stop thinking with your dick, Lance.”

            “At least I _have_ one instead of _being_ one.”

            Shiro stepped in immediately. “Knock it off.”

            “You two can whip out the measuring tapes later,” Pidge muttered.

            “Pidge, you’re not helping.”

            “Was I trying to?” she replied sweetly.

            “For now, let’s focus on gathering the intel we need to keep the princess safe.”

            “How much longer is she staying?” Hunk asked.

            “I don’t know. Not long, probably. A few days, maybe?”

            His team shared a look amongst themselves. “Are you going with her when she leaves?” Keith asked.

            “Am I… what? Why would you even ask that?”

            “You’re in _love_ ,” Lance said.

            “ _True_ love,” Hunk corrected.

            Shiro groaned and flopped into a chair. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, honestly. I need to talk to her about it, but…”

            The elevator dinged, and everyone jumped to their feet. Allura walked out and looked around. “Takashi, did you even eat while I was gone?”

            “We were busy,” he said defensively.

            She tsked at him. “I’m going to order you something from the kitchen. What do you want?”

            “Nothing, I’m fine.”

            “You need nourishment,” she insisted.

            “It’s like they’re already married,” Hunk cooed.

            “Hunk. Stop,” Shiro warned him, but he just snickered.

            “Has he let any of you eat?” Allura asked the group.

            “Not a single bite,” Lance pouted. “Do they have garlic knots?”

            “Lance, you have a chance to get a meal from one of the best chefs in the world, and that’s what you want?!” Hunk was insulted.

            “I just want a sandwich,” Pidge said. “I’m working on something.”

            “Oh my GOD,” Hunk groaned. “Princess, may I?”

            “Oh, please do,” she said with a bright smile.

            “Will you be dining with us?” he asked politely.

            “No, I just ate with Coran and my staff. I had instructed Takashi to see to his own dinner.”

            “We were _busy_ ,” he reiterated.

            “Okay then, dinner for five coming up!” Hunk declared. “And maybe a light dessert for everyone. Let me at that phone.”

            Allura smiled as Hunk headed over to put in the food orders. “I hope you were able to get whatever it is you were looking for?”

            “Some of it, anyway,” Shiro confirmed for her. “We’re still working on it.”

            “So, when are you leaving?” Keith asked her. His direct nature was a double-edged sword for Shiro.

            He shot Keith a glare, but Allura didn’t seem to notice it. “Well, I have to finish my address to the EGC. After that? I suppose it depends on what Takashi decides he’s going to do.”

            That knocked him out of his annoyance. “Wait, what about me?”

            She seemed surprised at his surprise. “I am not going to leave my _arlnath_. Not ever again.”

            “What’s an ‘ _arlnath_ ’?” Lance asked.

            Shiro ignored the question for now. “So, y-you want me to decide whether we’re staying here or going back to Altea?”

            She nodded. “Exactly. If you stay, I will stay, and everyone else will go back to Altea. Well, I suppose a few guards will stay with me, just in case. Coran’s so overprotective.”

            “I… I don’t even know what…”

            “Then I’m staying until you do.” She said it so simply, as if it were obvious and not some sort of life-shattering decision on her part.

            “But you’re the heir to the throne of Altea!” he protested. “Doesn’t that require you to go home?”

            “It would be difficult for me to stay here,” she acknowledged diplomatically. “But Father is ruling now. For the time being, my staying here is fine. And I already told you: to be bonded to someone like this is no small thing.”

            “No, I know it’s not.”

            She walked over and took his hands in hers. “This is a rare gift the universe has given us, that we could find each other. Rulers of planets are commonplace in comparison. This is what I have to do, and Father will understand that.”

            He let out a shaky breath. “I just… I don’t…”

            She leaned in and kissed him quickly. “You don’t have to answer right now. It will be a few qui- …er, days before I address the EGC again, at a minimum.”

            “MINIMUM a few days,” Pidge broke in. “Everyone in the entire freaking Garrison has to be scanned and evaluated now, EGC Security Division is taking over on the ground, and… yeah. It’ll be a bit.”

            “Food ordered!” Hunk declared loudly. “I had a great talk with the chef, and I’m really looking forward to what he’s going to cook up for us.”

            “Just so long as it’s not too weird,” Lance protested.

            “It won’t be weird!” Hunk shot back.

            “Gourmets eat all sorts of weird food,” Lance insisted. “Like… chopped up duck spleen or whatever.”

            “Duck _liver_.”

            “WhatEVER. It’s gross and weird.”

            “Guys!” Keith interjected. “Shiro’s trying to figure out some serious shit right now.”

            “I-it’s okay, Keith,” he said quickly. “I have to talk to the brass first before I can decide anything anyway. For now, let’s just relax a bit. Get our minds off things.” _Like how my decision could influence life and politics on two different worlds._ “Maybe a movie?”

            “ _Predator_!” Lance suggested immediately.

            “Maybe something without murderous aliens in it?” Shiro said.

            “I liked _The Princess Bride_ ,” Allura offered.

            “80’s flicks!” Pidge crowed. “Oh Tesla, please tell me we can watch _The Goonies_!”

            “No, no,” Keith said. He looked Shiro dead in the eye, as serious as a heart attack. “Shiro, please tell me you showed the princess the original _Star Wars_ trilogy.”

            Everyone was looking at him.

            “I, uh… hadn’t gotten around to it yet?”

            There was a chorus of groans from the guys. “Okay, that settles it!” Hunk declared. “Princess, I hope you have nothing on your schedule for the next 376 minutes!”

            “Um…can someone translate that into doboshes for me?” she asked.

            “It’s a little over 6 hours,” Pidge said.

            “Oh! Well, I _was_ planning to drag Takashi off to bed at some point, but I can do that later. We don’t have to be up early tomorrow, after all.”

            He felt his face heat as the team laughed. “Alright, alright, knock it off, all of you. Let’s get the princess properly educated on Classic Earth Movies.”

**~End of Chapter 6~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are, at the end. ~~And just before season 6 drops~~
> 
> Couldn't have done it without [pixie_rings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixie_rings/pseuds/pixie_rings) and her beta skills!  
> =============

            Shiro walked in and saluted. “Reporting as ordered, sir.”

            He noticed the commander – in fact all the officers in the room, save for Major Iverson – frown at the prosthetic. “At ease, Captain. Take a seat.”

            It was a small conference room at the local Garrison base. Rectangular tables arranged in a U-shape dominated the room. They’d left a chair for him at the base of the U, facing a blank wall.

            He was in here with Iverson, Dos Santos, a Lt. Colonel, and a full-bird, Colonel Hastings. They were seated along the arms of the U, but they were all looking at him. He doubted this was going to be good.

            “As I’m sure you know, Captain,” Commander Dos Santos said, “the EGC has been interrogating the lone survivor of Mulcahy’s team.”

            He nodded. “Yes, sir.” By now, he’d seen most of it; Pidge had created a highlight reel of what she’d gotten so far, skipping the boring and repetitive parts. The interrogation had taken hours, and once they’d finished, they’d clamped down on it _hard_. She was bringing her hacking skills to bear on the remaining half hour of footage.

            “We haven’t gotten much of use out of him, but he did bring something up that concerns us. Lights.”

            The room went dark and the wall opposite him lit up with footage.

            The EGC SecDiv guy had shed his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt, rolled up his sleeves. Duffy looked as crazed as ever, and there were a couple empty water cups near him.

            The interrogator asked, “But we sent people to Altea. They came back telling us that peace and trade with the Alteans would be a great boon.”

            “You fool!” Duffy snarled. “Don’t you understand that they’ve been compromised?! Who knows what the aliens did to them while they were there?! They’ve had their minds hacked or something. They could be moles, planning to hand our planet over to them at the first chance!”

            “And what makes you think that?”

            Duffy sighed and settled a little. “Look, I didn’t have anything to go on but the major’s word before this, but did you _see_ Shirogane? He was on that mission! He’s probably dead by now, and for what? To protect alien royalty? Do you think he’d do that if he wasn’t brainwashed?”

            “That was his job.”

            “Awfully eager to do it. He’s compromised. They’re ALL compromised. Every single one of them who went there! I mean, you have to _at least_ consider the possibility! WE DON’T KNOW. We have to be careful…”

            The footage stopped. “Lights,” Dos Santos said again, and they came back up.

            Everyone was still looking at him.

            Shiro sighed. “Look, I don’t know how to convince you that I’m not compromised, if that’s what this is about. But if you’ll forgive me for saying so, sir, Duffy clearly drank the Kool-Aid.”

            “Chugged it, more like,” Iverson said under his breath.

            “Major,” Hastings warned.

            “Sorry, sir.”

            “Nonetheless,” the commander said, “we’ve been talking to everyone who went up on the Altea mission. We’ve cleared everyone except you.”

            Shiro nodded. “I’ll do whatever’s necessary to prove myself to the Garrison, sir.”

            “Oh, that’s hardly necessary,” the Lt. Colonel – Bundy, according to his nametape – said. “Lights.”

            Shiro was confused as the room darkened again. But he found out why almost immediately.

            There he was, showing Allura her suite. He kept her from going outside, she turned to him. There was no sound, but it was unnecessary as she kissed him, and he clearly kissed her back. The footage jumped between moments: the two of them hugging, kissing, cuddling on the couch. That time she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder to cart him off into her bedroom.

            “How…?” he asked.

            “Lights,” Bundy said, and the room responded.

            “The hotel doesn’t have cameras in the penthouse suite. The security details I was given clearly said…”

            “The _hotel_ doesn’t have cameras there. So we put some in,” Dos Santos told him. “Only in the main living areas, but frankly, whatever went on in her bedroom is… kind of obvious.”

            Shiro sighed. He looked over at Hastings, who seemed to be trying to glare a response out of him. “I love her.”

            “So you admit you’re compromised,” Lt. Colonel Bundy said.

            “I love her, but I have done everything I was ordered to do.”

            “And then some, apparently.”

            “I was ordered to protect the princess and I did.”

            “You protect her better with one gun than the other?”

            “Bundy,” Hastings snapped. “Captain, between this and… well, _that_ ,” he nodded at Shiro’s right hand, “it just doesn’t look good.”

            “I understand that, Colonel.”

            “I’m not in a position to judge whether you are or aren’t compromised. I can’t see into someone’s heart and mind. But if this footage got out, it would _look_ like you’re compromised. It _looks_ like that madman might be right about you, and if he’s right about one thing, he could be right about others.”

            “You don’t believe him, do you, sir?” Shiro asked.

            “It’s not about what _I_ believe, it’s about what _the public_ will believe.”

            Shiro nodded in understanding. “I’ll resign immediately, sir.”

            “No, no, we can’t have that.”

            “Sir?” Shiro was now very confused. _If you don’t want me to resign, then… what?_

“You’re a hero, after all. Hailed as such in the press. No, we’re going to give you a medal. And, unfortunately, a medical discharge. After all, you lost an arm. Our current prosthetics are good, but not good enough for you to remain in service. And you certainly _do not_ have any other recourse on that front, do you?”

            “I understand, sir.”

            “In fact,” Bundy put in, “we’d like you to leave that with us.”

            “It’s just an arm.”

            “It could be useful.”

            “It doesn’t have military applications.”

            “If it could mean fewer medical discharges for our troops, then it does,” Hastings put in. “That’s our deal. You give us that fancy alien prosthetic so we can study it and keep it out of the eyes of the public; we give you an honorable medical discharge and a nice shiny medal. After that, I suggest you do everything you can to stay off the radar.”

            “Understood, sir.” Did he really have a choice? Of course not.

            Shiro stood and unbuckled his belt. He unbuttoned his uniform coat, looking straight at Hastings the whole time. He hung the coat carefully on the back of his chair. His shirt was the next to be removed, and he tried to keep from angrily ripping it out of his waistband. He draped it over the coat. A simple twist, and the arm detached from its docking base on the remains of his right arm. He laid it on the table.

            “I’m going to assume I don’t have to tear the base off to give that to you as well, sir?”

            “Captain,” Dos Santos growled warningly.

            Shiro kept his eyes on Hastings. _Look at what little is left of my arm. Look at the scar over my heart, the blast on my side. Look at the gash across my face and my hair that’s gone white. All of this obtained while doing my damn job. Look me in the eye when you dismiss me._

            And Hastings looked him right in the eyes.

            “Dismissed.”

            Shiro grabbed his clothes with his only remaining hand and left.

 

 

            “They did what?”

            He was being nonchalant about it. “Well, I guess I can come with you back to Altea, at least?” He flopped onto the couch. “There’s not much else here for me now.”

            Allura frowned and sat down next to him. “But they can’t just take your dream from you like that.”

            “They can, and they are. I’m lucky enough to get an honorable discharge.”

            She sighed. “I admit, I would love nothing better than to take you with me back to Altea, but… you deserve so much better than this, my love.”

            He smiled at her. “Better than living with you on a far-off planet? I dunno, that’s kind of hard to improve on.” He kissed her cheek.

            “You’re a hero!”

            “I’m happy enough to be your hero,” he murmured, kissing his way over to her ear.

            “Stop trying to distract me.”

            “I dunno, is it working?” he whispered, running his fingers along her neck.

            “And that’s another thing!” She shot to her feet and Takashi sighed. “You had to give them your arm?!”

            “I, uh, hope that’s not a problem? I mean, I know it was your tech, but it was _my_ arm, and I don’t think they were going to let me leave without…”

            “No, no, it’s not that; they’re welcome to it, and we can make you another. But the demand that you _give up your arm_. I just… HOW _DARE_ THEY?”

            He stood now as well. “Allura.” He looped his left arm around her waist to pull her in to him. “Settle down. Or at least let’s find a way to put all this energy of yours to better use?” He bent to kiss her neck.

            “You’re not going to seduce me out of this.”

            “You seduce me in and out of things all the time,” he said against her skin.

            “That’s different. That’s me doing it to you.”

            He laughed, his hand sliding down to cup her ass through her dress. “Come on, can’t you just be happy that I get to go home with you?”

            She considered it. He nipped at her neck lightly, squeezed once with his hand and started pulling her skirt up. He shifted one of his legs to be between hers and pressed up against her panties.

            “No.”

            He stopped and looked at her.

            “No, Takashi, I can’t just let this go.”

            He let go of her entirely and fell back onto the couch. “I don’t know what you think you can do. This isn’t Altea; you don’t have the authority to throw around here that you have back home.”

            “No, but I still do have some power at my beck and call.” She turned and headed for the elevator. “I’m going down to 19 to talk with Coran and the others. Stay here. And if you want to be naked when I come back up, I wouldn’t complain.”

            He snorted. “That seems like you’d lose all the fun of ‘unwrapping’ me.”

            She beamed and pushed the button. The elevator doors opened for her. “I love you.”

            “I know.”

            They smiled at each other fondly before the elevator doors closed again.

 

 

            Allura squared her shoulders. “Thank you all for being here today. I thought I should give you a preview of what my address to the EGC will be tomorrow. But first, let me explain my reasons for all of this.”

            She looked out over the conference room occupants: Colonel Hastings, Commanders Dos Santos and Holt, Major Iverson, Ms. Jiang, Ambassador Roberts, Mr. Mazurkiewicz from EGC’s Security Division, and, of course, Takashi and his team. Also, Coran and a couple of her guards standing beside her.

            “King Alfor asked me to come here to, first of all, repay your visit to our world with one of our own, and, secondarily, to see about establishing trade: commercial and educational. Although he didn’t say this to me, I believe he had a third objective, because he is my father, and he knows me better than I’d like to admit sometimes: he had figured out how close I had become to Captain Shirogane, and wanted me to see him again, for my own happiness.” She gave Hastings, Dos Santos, and Mazurkiewicz a glare, daring them to comment. They all wisely chose to remain silent.

            “While I was here, the very people who were supposed to be protecting me – your Galaxy Garrison – attacked me. If it had not been for Pidge’s warning and Shiro’s fast thinking, I might have been seriously injured or killed. Our medical technology is clearly superior to yours, but even we cannot bring the dead back to life.

            “And now, you want to be rid of this brave man as if he were some sort of embarrassment. And why? Because he loves me? I love him in return. And I’m happy to take him with me.”

            Colonel Hastings was on his feet in no time flat. “We cannot allow that.”

            “Why not? You clearly don’t want him here.”

            “He has knowledge of our military readiness, our command structure, codes, and…”

            “You can change codes. You can rearrange your command structure – and you might have to, after this incident,” she reminded him, “and, frankly, I care little for your ‘military readiness.’ One thing that lunatic was right about is that our technology _is_ much more advanced than yours is. If laser weaponry is the best you have, then we are not terribly afraid of you.

            “But we _do_ want peace. I believe that most of this planet would welcome that. But the fact remains that some of you – oh, do sit _down_ already, Colonel,” she waited for him to regain his seat before continuing, “some of you, including members of your military, are hostile to us. So here’s my proposal, and I suggest you listen to it fully before you protest.”

            She cleared her throat. “Captain Shirogane will get his honorable discharge, but not a medical one. We will make him a new prosthetic, and he will be allowed to wear it when his medal ceremony is broadcast for the world to see. I want to hear the word ‘hero’ at least once in there.

            “We are extending the offer for Earth to set up an embassy on Altea. I expect Ambassador Roberts would be your first choice for the post. He and my father get along well. We can take whoever you choose to be your ambassador, their families and staff, and all their belongings with us when we leave. And yes, I will be bringing Takashi Shirogane with me. I’ve finally found the word I want to translate _arlnath_ : soulmate. He is my soulmate, and I don’t care if you believe me or not. I will not leave him behind, especially on a planet that could be hostile to him. He wants to see the stars, and so he shall.

            “Have him ‘check in’ with your embassy as often as you like, to make sure that he’s not betraying any secrets to us. We will be happy to provide Earth and its people with information to advance your medical and communications technology. This is why I don’t mind that you were so interested in his prosthetic, though I do care that you deprived a man of the aid he needs to live his life fully. You could have asked us, and we would have happily provided you with one. But as it stands, you can keep it. Call it the first of many gifts we will be giving to you.

            “Ambassadorial staff will be given communicators, as will necessary EGC and Garrison officers so that they can communicate with you back on Earth without the time delay that your current technology has. Family members can come with or they can stay on Earth and be given communicators as well. We are happy to arrange trips back and forth between Altea and Earth as necessary until we feel safe enough helping you with transportation technology. I should tell you now, it will be a long time yet before you get any weaponry out of us.

            “Those are my terms. Are they acceptable?”

            The room was silent. Takashi was staring at her, dumbfounded.

            “And what if we say no to any part of this?” Commander Dos Santos asked her.

            She waved her hand in elegant dismissal. “If we do it my way, everyone saves face, you have a way to keep him on at least _some_ sort of leash, since you’re so worried about his being ‘compromised,’ and your planet gets significant advances in fields that can help your people live longer and communicate better. But if you don’t want that, then I will simply take my _arlnath_ with us and we will depart. No embassy, no upgrades.”

            “I think we can come to some sort of accord,” Ms. Jiang said smoothly. “I personally see no problem with the terms set out by Her Highness.”

            Colonel Hastings wasn’t having it. “With all due respect, Secretary-General…”

            “You wanted him to keep a low profile after his discharge, did you not?” she replied. “Hard to get lower profile than off the planet entirely.”

            “And, if I may,” Commander Holt volunteered, “his security clearance has never been high enough to access anything truly damaging. Even if he gave up every bit of info he had, it wouldn’t make much difference. Considering the wealth of what we’d gain in this deal, it seems an easy choice.”

            Dos Santos stayed quiet, even after Hastings looked to him for help.

            Ms. Jiang smiled. “We’re happy to accept your terms, but if I may make one suggestion?”

            “Which is?” Allura asked tightly.

            “Perhaps don’t mention Captain Shirogane quite as much in your broadcast?”

            Allura laughed airily. “Oh, yes, of course not. He’s far too shy to put up with all of that.”

            “Oh my god,” he groaned from his seat, dropping his face into his hands…er, hand. She hadn’t seen his expression before he did it, but his ears were red.

            “You see?” she said. “Proof!”

            “This is what happens when you give an alien princess the good lovin’, Shiro,” Lance commented.

            “McCLAIN,” both commanders said simultaneously.

            Lance just grinned.

            Allura turned to Ambassador Roberts. “My address is tomorrow night, but I’ll give you until the end of the week to gather your team, their families, and belongings. Does that sound reasonable?”

            He nodded. “Quite, Princess. And I look forward to seeing your lovely home again.”

            “Thank you, Ambassador.” She looked around the room. “So, we’re done here, I believe?”

            “I’d say so,” Major Iverson said.

            There was a smattering of agreement around the table. People began to stand up and leave, but she noticed Takashi was still sitting there with his head in his hand. She walked over to him and slid an arm around his shoulders. “Beloved?”

            His voice was slightly muffled. “I can’t believe you said all of that in front of my superior officers.”

            “It’s the truth, is it not? Am I not supposed to tell them the truth?”

            “I didn’t say that. But it’s just…”

            She leaned down to whisper, “Would you rather I tell them about how I’ve never come so much or so hard as I have with you?”

            He sat up straight. “DEFINITELY NOT.”

            Everyone who was still in the room turned to look at him.

            Allura just giggled. “You’re adorable when you blush.”

            “You’re going to kill me, I hope you know that.”

            “C’est juste une petite mort,” she told him.

            “Oh, god, I forgot about the French,” he muttered. “And don’t think I don’t know what you said.”

            “And don’t think _I_ don’t know how badly you want to learn to pilot our vessels.”

            The look on his face was so boyishly cute that she almost couldn’t stand it. “Really? You’ll teach me to fly Altean ships?”

            She beamed. “If you’re good.”

            “I will be on my best behavior,” he promised immediately.

            “So,” she asked, “how soon can you be packed, and how many of these ‘movies’ can you bring with you?”

            He laughed. “I’m not sure if I can get our ancient technology to be compatible with yours.”

            “I can help with that!” Pidge offered.

            Hunk was right there next to her. “Me, too!”

            “I have to help you pick out some decent flicks,” Lance declared.

            He looked around at all of them. “Thanks, guys.” Then he rose and went over to Keith, who was standing off to the side.

            Allura decided not to listen in on their conversation, and asked Lance, as they all started to walk out together, “So tell me about this _Predator_ movie?”

            “Is it about _klanmüirl_?” Coran asked, trailing after them.

            “What even is that?” Lance asked.

            “Something tells me I don’t want to know,” Pidge guessed.

 

 

            “I’m glad your friends are coming with us,” Allura said. The ambassadorial team was loading up, but she’d said she was going to personally show Shiro where to put his things. “And their families.”

            “Well, Pidge’s anyway. Lance’s and Hunk’s opted to stay behind. Lance told me he had quite a time trying to teach his grandmother how to work the communicator.”

            Allura laughed that lovely, musical laugh of hers. “I look forward to getting to know Commander Holt and his family better. They seem very nice and sensible people.”

            “Don’t say that too soon; you don’t know what Matt and Pidge are like when they get going, especially on pranks.”

            As if on cue, he could hear Pidge outside, saying, “Major, I got you a little something since you’re staying behind. Open it when you get home.” _I really ought to warn Iverson, but… plausible deniability._

            And anyway, Allura was still talking, “But I have to ask: is this truly all you have?”

            “What? This is ten years’ worth of stuff!” he declared. He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a box in his arms – now that he had two of them again. “I was living in the barracks, after all. And I was off-world for some of that time, too.”

            “Off gallivanting across the universe, seducing alien princesses wherever you went?” she teased.

            “Yeah, pretty much. But we only went to the one place.”

            She mock-glared at him. “You better have.”

            He chuckled. “No one else could ever be you.” He could feel how happy that made her, as if her joy was the warmth from a nearby fireplace.

            “And no one else could ever be _you_.” And hearing her say it filled him with joy as well.

            “Here we are! You can put your things in here.” The door opened.

            It was a huge bedroom with a large bed. He noticed a vanity against one wall, and, sitting on it, a small aetherite cube.

            He smiled at her. “Let me guess: I don’t get this room all to myself, do I?” He walked in to set the box down.

            “No, sorry. You will have to share.”

            “Damn. Well, I suppose I’ll just have to make do.” He slung his duffel down next to the box.

            “Yes, you will. Princess’s orders.”

            He walked over and slid his arms around her. “As you wish,” he whispered, before he kissed her.

            When they broke, she sighed happily and snuggled into his arms. “Ah, it’s so nice to have my brave, handsome captain with me here.”

            “Ah ah,” he corrected her. “I’m a civilian now.”

            “True. And such a shame!” She pulled away enough to look him up and down, running her hands over the vest he was wearing. “You always looked very impressive in your uniform.”

            “You only love me for my uniform!” he lamented, hamming it up. “And here I love you in everything you wear!”

            “You seem to especially like it when I’m not wearing anything,” she pointed out.

            He blushed but didn’t deny it. “I do love the dress you’re wearing now. This shade of pink is very becoming.”

            “I’m glad you like it. It means ‘forever’.”

            “Really? I like the sound of that.”

**~The End~**


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